NYPD: 2 men sought in attack on Jewish man in Flatlands

AtlantisEmpire
Published on Feb 15, 2022
Police say a Jewish man was attacked Friday night in Flatlands.
The incident on Avenue L and East 32 Street was caught on video around 11:30 p.m.

Surveillance video shows a man approach the victim and strike him in the face, which caused his yarmulke to fall off his head. The attacker then fled the scene in a light-colored minivan driven by another man.

The NYPD says they are treating this incident as a hate crime.

This incident follows a string of anti-Jewish violence around the borough.

Just last week, authorities say a 15-year-old was arrested for assaulting a man dressed in traditional Hasidic clothing in Bed-Stuy.

Last month in Marine Park, authorities say an 8-year-old boy was spat on by a woman who hurled antisemitic slurs at him. Police later arrested 21-year-old Christina Darling in that case.

Residents of the Jewish community say these recent incidents have them on edge. They say their neighborhood used to be safe and now they're always looking over their shoulders when they walk in the street.

They urge for more to be done to end to these targeted attacks.

According to crime statistics released by the NYPD, there have been 15 reported cases of hate crimes against the Jewish community in the month of January - that is a 275% increase from the year prior.

The Anti-Defamation League will be working law enforcement, offering a $5,000 reward for information about this incident.