NY police apprehend assailants in two separate antisemitic attacks

A recent Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report on antisemitic crimes in New York noted that the state “leads the nation” in the number of incidents targeting Jews.

By The Algemeiner

Two men have been apprehended by the New York City Police Department in connection with two separate antisemitic assaults in different parts of the city during the last two months.

In Staten Island, an 18-year-old man was indicted on hate crimes charges in connection with an attack on a Jewish couple in April, while in Brooklyn, a 35-year-old was arrested over a violent assault on a Jewish man last month.

Logan Jones — the alleged offender in Staten Island — is accused of having approached the victim, a 21-year-old Jewish man who was walking with his wife, accompanied by five friends in the evening of April 1. Jones is said to have punched his victim in the face before joining with two of his companions in repeatedly kicking the Jewish man, who tried to escape by sliding under a truck parked nearby.

Jones and the five others allegedly fled the scene as the victim’s wife asked a bystander to call the police. The victim — who was dressed in traditional Hasidic attire when the attack occurred — suffered severe head and body pain, an abrasion to the cheek, as well as bruising to the face and mouth, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. Jones’s bail was set at $30,000 and he is due to appear in court again on June 24.

“Without warning or provocation, this defendant allegedly assaulted an innocent man simply because of his Jewish faith,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “Crimes that target individuals because of their religion, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation are a threat to everything we stand for here in Brooklyn. We will now seek to hold the defendant accountable.”

Meanwhile, Eric Redding, the 35-year-old arrested over an attack in early May upon an Orthodox Jewish man in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, is facing assault, aggravated harassment, menacing and hate crime charges, police said. Redding is accused of punching and kicking the 32-year-old man in broad daylight at the intersection of President Street and Utica Avenue while he hurled antisemitic insults at him, according to police.

Separately, police in Brooklyn are investigating whether an arson attack on a Black-owned hair salon may have been a hate crime. Surveillance video from the salon in the Fort Greene neighborhood showed a man allegedly painting swastikas on the building before setting it alight.

A recent Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report on antisemitic crimes in New York noted that the state “leads the nation” in the number of incidents targeting Jews.

“In 2021, the number of reported incidents increased 24 percent over 2020 numbers, rising from 336 to 416,” the ADL reported. “These numbers also include a spike in antisemitic incidents driven by extreme anti-Israel sentiments during the May 2021 Israel-Hamas war. During this time, incidents motivated by anti-Zionist sentiments included assault, arson threats, and harassment.”

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