Homeless man arrested, charged with hate crime in Chinatown assault on 19-year-old woman
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A homeless man has been arrested and is facing hate crime charges in the assault of a 19-year-old woman in Chinatown.
The incident happened around 10:40 p.m. July 11 on East Broadway, moments after Amina Razvi stepped off a bus from Maryland with her younger brother. Investigators say they were confronted by 29-year-old Zin McDade, who was seen on surveillance video shortly before the attack. He allegedly shouted anti-Muslim insults before spitting on her and punching her in the face.
He then fled the scene.
"He spat on her and then he punched her," said Mohammad Razvi, the victim's uncle and a Muslim community activist.
He says his niece was singled out because, like many of the family's neighbors in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, she wore a traditional Muslim scarf and was speaking the Pakistani language known as urdu.
Razvi suffered a fractured jaw and was transported to Beth Israel Hospital in stable condition.
"At this moment, it's a hate crime," Mohammad Razvi said. "The guy just walked up to her just because she was wearing a scarf. Her jaw is broken, and she had surgery to reassemble both sides. So she cannot talk. She cannot open her mouth."
McDade has prior arrests and a history of psychological illness. He was taken into custody for disorderly conduct at Eldridge and Division streets in Chinatown Wednesday and was soon linked to attack. He is charged with felony assault as a hate crime, felony assault, aggravated harassment as a hate crime, assault and harassment.
