NEW YORK CITY — Police are looking for a man they say assaulted a New York City bus driver who asked him to put on a mask before boarding the Manhattan bus.

According to the NYPD, the unidentified man attempted to get on the northbound New York City Transit Authority (MTA) bus near Madison Avenue and East 29th Street around 2:30 a.m. Monday without a mandatory face covering.

The bus driver, 62, stopped the man, telling him he had to put on a mask to ride the bus, police said.

According to authorities, the man punched the bus driver in the face before fleeing the bus in an unknown direction.

The victim suffered pain and swelling and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, police said.

Face coverings or masks are required on all MTA buses, subways and trains as the city continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

The NYPD has released the above surveillance images of the man for whom they're searching.

This story was originally published by Mark Sundstrom and Rebecca Solomon on WPIX in New York City.