THE Philippine Consulate General in New York (PCGNY) on Saturday, July 16, 2022, advised the Filipino community in New York to remain vigilant after an 18-year-old Filipino tourist from Cebu was reported to have been violently assaulted near the Philippine Center in Manhattan on Wednesday.

In a Facebook post Saturday, the Consulate has reminded the Filipino community and kababayans visiting New York to exercise necessary precautions while on the street or in the subways.

The PCGNY said that it received information that the Cebuano tourist was walking with three other Filipinos near the corner of 6th Avenue and 46th Street when he was assaulted.

"The Filipino sustained facial injuries from the beating he received from the suspect who was eventually subdued and turned over to authorities," the Consulate said.

The agency said this was the 41st incident since 2021 that involves a Filipino who was either a victim of a hate crime or incident or a criminal act.

"The Consulate is in touch with the New York City Police Department to get more information on the incident. It is unknown at this point if the incident was anti-Asian-hate-related," the Consulate said. (SunStar Philippines)