NEW YORK —
A man was indicted for the brutal beating of a 70-year-old man inside a Harlem subway station last year after he refused to light the suspected assailant’s cigarette, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Abderanman Mayo, 28, is charged with two counts of second-degree assault for the attack, which occurred on March 16, 2024, at about 11 p.m.
According to court documents and statements, Mayo approached the victim on the A line platform at the 145th Street subway station asking for a light, and he refused.
Mayo walked away toward another individual—who has not been apprehended—and the duo proceeded to punch the septuagenarian multiple times in the face and head, prosecutors said. They are then accused of pushing him to the ground and kicking him repeatedly.
Bystanders flagged down transit police and Mayo was arrested at the scene, officials said.
The victim sustained facial bruising, a cut above his eye and a bloody nose.
“Nobody should have to experience this type of alleged vicious attack on the transit system,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Anyone with additional information about the assault should call 212-335-9040.