A Bronx woman has been indicted on hate crime charges after assaulting a subway passenger while making antisemitic remarks, Manhattan D.A. Bragg announced Thursday.
Woki Massaquoi, 35, faces two counts of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime and one count of Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree following the incident, which occurred on a northbound 4 train as it traveled through the Upper East Side in April.
According to prosecutors, the 38-year-old victim and Massaquoi both boarded the train at Grand Central–42nd Street on April 29 around 7:50 a.m. As the train approached 86th and Lexington Avenue, Massaquoi allegedly slapped a cup of coffee from the victim’s hand, shouted an antisemitic slur–“white Jew b—”–and punched the woman in the face. Massaquoi then forced the victim to the floor of the subway car, causing bruising and swelling.
The victim exited the train at the 86th Street station, where she alerted an MTA conductor. Police responded quickly to the scene and arrested Massaquoi. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“This harmful conduct is unacceptable and no one should be targeted because of their religion,” D.A. Bragg said in a statement. “Our specially trained prosecutors are working diligently each day to bring cases forward.”
Authorities are urging anyone who has witnessed or experienced a hate crime to contact 911 or the Manhattan D.A.’s Office at 212-335-3100.
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