Exclusive: Asian man feared for life during road rage attack on Cross Bronx Expressway
BRONX, New York (WABC) -- A man is speaking out after a road rage incident on the Cross Bronx Expressway left him battered and fearing for his life.
It was a violent explosion of rage captured on dash cam video. The terrifying moment was round two of the assault.
The victim can be heard desperately pleading for help with 911, afraid he'd be left for dead on the side of a dark, rainy Cross Bronx Expressway.
"He yelled (expletive) Chinese. I'm going to kill you, two or three times," the victim said.
In this Eyewitness News exclusive interview, the 28-year-old victim says he rear-ended a black Honda Fit Monday night in the Bronx.
It pulled over. But so did a Mercedes minivan, which did not have a license plate.
ALSO READ | Missing Long Island native's boyfriend a person of interest & hindering investigation, police say
Out of those two vehicles, he says about 10 people got out, surrounded his car, then watched as the suspect beat him like it was a sport.
His eye, his ear, his neck, chest and hip were bruised and sore and he was hospitalized for two days.
The assailant punched his driver side window and peeled the window back, punched his face through it and tried to yank him out.
Then he broke in through the passenger side.
The victim was cornered like a wounded animal for the entire seven minutes he was on the phone with 911.
He was punched and kicked relentlessly. The victim says he can't get out of his head, the thick sole boots smashing into his face.
"If there's no hate, why do you treat me like this?" he said. "I'm not first generation of immigrants. I'm not first generation. I'm like second or third. I'm young, but I still get treated like this."
Police have not categorized this as a hate crime, but the victim thinks it was. He's not alone.
ALSO READ | Search for man who kicked woman down subway escalator
"That's a pretty vicious hate crime. He wasn't seen as American enough that night," Congresswoman Grace Meng said. "This guy did use racial slurs while beating up the victim, so I really hope they take this seriously."
The victim says police officers randomly happened on the scene as the suspect was on his hood kicking in his windshield.
If they hadn't passed by, he thinks he'd be dead.
The suspect drove off. Police have made no arrests.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a News Tip
