QUEENS — A man spat on a 15-year-old Muslim girl and called her a "terrorist" as she rode a city bus in Kew Gardens Hills in an incident police are investigating as a hate crime, authorities said.
The teen, who was on her way to school, was riding on the Q88 bus on Tuesday around 9 a.m. at Kissena Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway, when the man standing next to her pushed her and called her a “terrorist,” police said.
He also spat on her and raised his fist in an aggressive manner, the NYPD said.
According to a published report, the man became angry after the girl’s bag brushed up against him. WABC quoted the teen saying the man threaten to kill her. "Do you think I'm afraid to hit you? I will kill you," the man allegedly said.
Police could not immediately confirm the death threat.
The girl was wearing a traditional headscarf, which is why the man referred to her Muslim faith, the report said.
The teen described the man, who got off near Queens College, as being in his 40s.
