Two Orthodox Jewish men were recently assaulted in New York over the past couple of days, one on Oct. 14 and the other on Oct. 15.
Video footage of the incident shows the assailant, reportedly identified as 37-year-old Farrukh Afzal, getting out of his car and beating the victim, 62-year-old Rabbi Lipa Schwartz, at a crosswalk. Another Jewish man eventually confronts Afzal, who then chases after the other man. Afzal was arrested later in the day.
I'm horrified by this unprovoked vicious assault on an elderly member of our community. Justice needs to be served swiftly and fully. Thank you @BPShomrim and @NYPD66Pct for the quick response. pic.twitter.com/ET9ReklotR
— Barry Spitzer (@bspitzer) October 14, 2018
According to prosecutors, Afzal allegedly honked at Schwartz because he didn’t think he walking across the street fast enough; the two yelled each other before Schwartz allegedly punched Afzal’s window. Afzal proceeded to get out of his car and allegedly assault Schwartz.
Schwartz claims that Afzal shouted “Allah” and his desire to “kill all Jews,” however law enforcement has stated that the assault was due to road rage and not a hate crime. Afzal’s family members are saying that Afzal suffers from schizophrenia and acted because he didn’t take his medication.
Video footage of the Oct. 15 incident shows a Jewish man being chased by a black teenager with a stick. The man can be seen running into a coin-operated laundry business; the teenager then attacks the Jewish man with the stick, which snaps in half after striking the man’s shoulder. The teenager then throws the stick toward the business, causing further injury to the Jewish man and the owner of the business, and flees the scene.
The teenager has been apprehended by law enforcement and has been charged with a hate crime. Law enforcement also revealed that teen had been released less than 30 minutes earlier for shoplifting.
“We are deeply disturbed by and unequivocally condemn these horrific attacks, and thank the New York City Police Department and its Hate Crimes Task Force for taking swift action and for investigating a bias motive,” Evan Bernstein, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League’s New York-New Jersey chapter said in a statement. “We cannot allow events such as these to become the new normal. We will continue to offer our support in responding to hate, so that New York City remains safe and inclusive for all.”
