#Manhattan subway attack was anti-Asian crime: eyewitness

A Sri Lankan immigrant attacked on a Manhattan train Friday afternoon was the victim of an anti-Asian attack, an eyewitness told WNBC-TV.

Straphanger George Okrepkie was sitting across from victim Narayange Bodhi on Friday afternoon when the alleged assailant approached Bodhi, 68, and said “You Asian [mother-f—-r]” and threw a punch, Okrepkie told the station.

“I could not believe that somebody would attack a man of that age,” Okrepkie said. “Before I could even look, he was standing on top of him.”

The assailant escaped when the train stopped at Franklin Street station, leaving Bodhi bloodied on the train. Okrepkie lent his scarf to help stop the bleeding, he said.

An NYPD rep told The Post on Sunday that the department has no evidence the attack was racially motivated.

New York City is experiencing a surge in attacks against people of Asian descent. Last year, there were 28 such racially motivated attacks compared to just two in 2019.

Neither Okrepkie nor Bodhi could be reached for comment by The Post.

Additional reporting by Tina Moore and Reuven Fenton