A Catholic priest was the latest victim in an alarming trend of unprovoked attacks at NYC subway stations.
The 74-year-old priest, who serves at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Belmont section of the Bronx, was standing at a turnstile at the Kingsbridge Road subways station around 10:10 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.
When the elderly priest had trouble swiping his MetroCard, the suspect — who was walking the opposite direction — punched him in the face, police said.
"Don't shout," the attacker allegedly said when the priest called for help. "I just felt like punching someone."
The suspect fled the scene. The priest later refused medical attention for his injury, which included pain and swelling where he was hit.
The seemingly random attack comes as the NYPD has been investigating a pattern of attacks on women at the L train station on Morgan Avenue in East Williamsburg.
The first reported attack came on November 17. Four more attacks were reported in December. In each of them, women were approached from behind and struck.
A 50-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection to the attacks. He was released on January 1 and another attack was reported the following day.
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