THE BRONX, New York — Police have identified a man seen on video violently abusing his two children at a Bronx subway station. The video was shared on social media earlier this week, prompting an investigation by New York police.
Authorities have not released his name, but said he is a 35-year-old man from Manhattan and the two young boys are his children, police sources told PIX11.
The children, ages 7 and 9, live with their mother in the Bronx, according to police.
Although the video was shared earlier this week, police say the incident happened on January 22. They say the man on the video was actually arrested the day after the incident for unrelated reasons.
He had been taken into custody Saturday in Manhattan for separate domestic abuse allegations, including allegedly striking one of the boys with a belt, according to police.
He had been in custody until Wednesday when a judge released him on his own recognizance, police said.
Cellphone video showed the man shaking one of the children by the hair for several minutes and punching the other with a closed fist as people walked passed them at a station in the Bronx.
Community advocateTony Herbert posted the five-minute video on Tuesday in an effort to identify the man who he said should be behind bars.
Warning, viewers may find the video disturbing.
“The way he attacked those two children on the track, whether it was his kids or not, was atrocious,” said Herbert.
The man filming the video, a father himself, called 911.
The 35-year-old man in the video also had 37 prior arrests dating back to 2003, many include charges of domestic abuse, assaults, drugs and menacing.
Police are speaking with the Bronx district attorney about new charges.
