Toddler Caught On Cam Assaulted By Man Near Times Square, Wanted By NYPD

A man was caught on video punching a young child he was carrying into a Chinese restaurant near Times Square on Sunday Evening. Aside from the assault, the yet-to-be-identified man was also caught yelling at the child and telling the toddler to shut up.

A 911 call was received about a child being assaulted by a man believed to be between 20 to 30 years old at around 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) responded to the call but the suspect and the child were no longer around when they got there.

In surveillance videos, it could be seen how the man initially struck the toddler causing the infant to fall to the ground. After that he appeared to be yelling at the child, telling him to shut up.

Not long after, the man places the child in a stroller, exits and flees the scene on foot. The man is reportedly black, the only other detail given aside from his possible age range.

The incident is part of the growing crime rate in New York City, up by 39% compared to last year. Robberies and shootings have also increased by 33% and 22.4 % respectively based on the latest data from the NYPD.

The unfortunate rise in crime comes roughly a month under the administration of Eric Adams.

Adams ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of public safety as crime rose during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from that, there is also the new policy where prison sentences would only be handed to a select number of offenses. Further, some felony crimes can be downgraded or dismissed.

This was unveiled by Manhattan's new district attorney, Alvin Bragg.

Surprisingly, gun busts have dropped the past few weeks despite the rise in shooting incidents during the pandemic, the Post reported.

Firearm arrests were down by nearly a quarter over the first three weeks of the year, according to the Compstat statistics released on Monday, Jan. 24. This was hours before Adams was set to roll out his gun violence prevention plan.