Man is caught on disturbing video PUNCHING his toddler and seeming to yell 'shut up' at a restaurant near Times Square

 A man is wanted by the NYPD after a shocking moment caught on video captured him assaulting a small child he carried into a Chinese restaurant near Times Square then apparently telling the toddler to 'shut up.'  

The incident took place on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan on Sunday evening.  

Police got a 911 call over a small child being assaulted by a man at around 6:45 p.m., but both the child and adult were gone when the NYPD arrived.

A police investigation determined that at around 5:40 p.m., the man entered the location with the small child.

Surveillance video then shows the moment that the adult strikes the toddler, causing him to fall to the ground. He then seems to yell at the child to 'shut up.'

A man is wanted by the NYPD for a shocking moment caught on video when he assaults a small child at a restaurant near Times Square

A police investigation determined that at around 5:40 p.m., the man entered the location with a small child

Surveillance video then shows the moment that the adult strikes the toddler, causing him to fall to the ground

The man then takes the toddler and puts them in a stroller, exiting and fleeing on foot to parts unknown

The man police are searching for in connection with this incident is described as a black male between 20 and 30 years of age

The Chinese restaurant on Seventh Avenue where Sunday's alleged assault took place

The man then takes the toddler and puts the child in a stroller, exits and flees on foot.  

The suspect was described as a black man between 20 and 30 years of age. 

Crime in New York City is up nearly 39 percent compared to this time last year. Robberies are up 33 percent and shootings are up 22.4 percent, according to the latest crime numbers from the NYPD. 

The uptick in crime continues a month into the Eric Adams administration. Adams ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of public safety as crime rose during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Manhattan's new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has unveiled a sweeping new policy to only seek prison sentences for a handful of offenses, and downgrade or dismiss charges for many felony crimes.