A suspect has been arrested following a search after allegedly punching a 9-year-old girl in the face in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.
Jean Carlos Zarzuela, 30, is accused of assaulting the child at around 11:50 a.m. Saturday in the dining concourse, CBSNews New York reported. The girl was standing near her mother when Zarzuela is said to have walked up to them and punched the girl in the face for no apparent reason before running away.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) police officers provided aid to the girl, who reported feeling dizziness and pain, according to PIX11. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to be okay, ABC7 reported.
Zarzuela is known to the MTA police department, according to PIX11. Officers were looking for him and asked for the public’s help in locating him before he was taken into custody Saturday night and charged with assault.
Fox News Digital reached out to MTA police for more information.
Incidents of females in New York City being punched have been on the rise of late, leading to viral warnings on TikTok.
Skiboky Stora, 40, is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of assault and harassment in New York City on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Stora is allegedly involved in a series of unprovoked attacks against women in the city, including at least one TikTok influencer. (Pool via Curtis Means for Daily Mail)
Last month, a Brooklyn man was arrested for allegedly randomly punching a woman in New York City. Skiboky Stora, 40, was arraigned after being accused of hitting a 25-year-old woman in the head, injuring the left side of her face on March 25.
TikToker Halley Kate was punched in the face by a stranger on a New York City sidewalk. (TikTok: @halleykate)
He was arrested and charged with assault, the New York Police Department confirmed.
Fox News’ Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.