An Asian MTA worker has been hospitalized after he was assaulted while working at a Queens subway station. The 54-year-old Asian male is a lighting supervisor with the MTA. The victim was punched by another man on Tuesday around 2 pm at the Queens Boulevard station near Jackson avenue, reports the New York Post.

The victim was working on the mezzanine when two suspects called him over.

“Can I ask you a question?” one of the men asked before punching the victim in the face.

Both men took off after the assault.

The victim was taken to the Mount Sinai hospital with a bruised jaw.

Police said the victim was of Asian descent but they don’t believe he was attacked because of his race.

New York City has seen a surge of anti-Asian hate crimes during the coronavirus pandemic.