NYC police hunt for man who allegedly sucker-punched, taunted 5-year-old boy on the subway

Matthew Diebel | USA TODAY

New York City police are searching for a man who they say sucker-punched and taunted a 5-year-old boy while he was riding on a subway train with his mother and brother.

After hitting the child, the attacker then shouted, “Are you going to cry to ya’ mommy?” according to reports in local media.

Police say the boy, accompanied by his mother and brother, were riding through Brooklyn when the assault occurred. After the incident, a quick-thinking bystander snapped photos of the alleged attacker, who police later identified as Ramon Thomas, 25. The NYPD released the photos as well as a mugshot from police files.

According to the New York Daily News, the young victim suffered bruising on his face and was treated and released at an area hospital. The suspect fled after the train stopped at a station following the Saturday afternoon incident, police said.

Police also released surveillance images of the suspect, who is described as black, about 6-foot, 160 pounds, with a medium build, short black hair and mustache. He wore an olive-colored long-sleeve shirt, black jacket, black sneakers and beige cargo pants.

On Sunday, parents at the station in Brooklyn’s upscale Cobble Hill neighborhood discussed the incident. “Our kids aren’t safe anywhere, even if we’re with them,” Anne Marie Mellon told the New York Post. “It’s too much,” she added as she held her young son.

Contacted by the Post, the boy’s parents declined to comment on the incident or their son’s condition.