Chelsea hate crime: Bigoted brutes break senior man’s jaw after uttering anti-LGBTQ slurs, cops say

Hate crimes detectives are looking for the suspects behind a brutal Chelsea attack last month in which a senior man was abused with anti-LGBTQ+ slurs, then had his jaw broken.

The NYPD released on Oct. 7 images of four perpetrators sought for the assault, which occurred in the area of West 17th Street and 9th Avenue at about 10:15 p.m. on Sept. 15.

According to law enforcement sources, the group approached the 72-year-old man at the location and made various anti-LGBTQ+ statements toward him. 

After verbally attacking the victim, cops said, they then went on a physical attack — punching and kicking the man repeatedly, and also striking him with various objects, about the head and body.

Following the bloody assault, authorities noted, the brutes took off on foot and were last seen entering an apartment building at 420 West 19th St.

The incident was reported to the 10th Precinct which subsequently referred the matter to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force. The victim, meanwhile, sought treatment via private means at a local hospital for a broken jaw, and multiple facial and hand lacerations.

Through Oct. 1, the 10th Precinct reported 16 hate crimes so far in 2023, equal to the tally reported at the same point last year, according to the most recent CompStat report. Felony assaults, however, have increased this year by more than 20%, from 102 incidents as of Oct. 1, 2022 to 123 this year.

Citywide, the NYPD reported that there had been 10 hate crimes for sexual orientation reported in September 2023, two more than the number recorded in September 2022.

As for the suspects in the Chelsea attack, police described one of the culprits as a heavyset man with a light complexion. The other three individuals were described as men with slim builds and medium complexions.

Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.