A 61-year-old Asian man who was attacked in New York was collecting cans to make ends meet after losing his job in the pandemic

• Yao Pan Ma was collecting cans to support his family when he was attacked in New York last week.
• Ma's wife told the New York Daily News he lost his job because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• The police identified the suspect in Ma's attack as Jarrod Powell, 49.

The 61-year-old Asian man who was attacked in New York City on Friday was collecting cans to support his family after losing his job because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yao Pan Ma worked at a restaurant in the city before he became unemployed when the coronavirus pandemic started last year, his wife, Baozhen Chen, told the New York Daily News.

"We weren't qualified for employment reimbursement, so only I'm working during the pandemic," Chen told the outlet. "He was just trying to help out the family. He had no bad intentions. He wouldn't cause trouble with other people in his neighborhood."

Ma was walking with a cart full of cans when the attacker struck him. Video released by the New York City Police Department shows the attacker stomping on Ma's head several times before walking away.

The police on Tuesday identified that suspect as Jarrod Powell, 49, who was charged with two counts of felony assault, according to the ABC 7 New York reporter CeFaan Kim.

Ma's family told WABC-TV that he was still in a coma. A GoFundMe created to assist the family has raised over $360,000.

The attack comes amid a wave of violent incidents reported targeting Asians. Last month, a 65-year-old Filipina American woman was attacked in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood while two nearby doormen stood by. The two doormen, who were seen on video watching as the woman was knocked to the ground and assaulted, were later fired.