NY property dispute erupts into anti-Semitic incident

Doorbell camera captured rant laden with anti-Semitic slurs and profanity.

By World Israel News Staff

A Long Island man was arraigned on charges of aggravated harassment after launching into a profanity-laden rant that included anti-Semitic slurs and threatening gestures.

Eric and Elina Goldman, who are Jewish, were left frightened by next-door neighbor Thomas Cerna, who also honked his horn and made throat-slashing gesture. The incident was captured on a doorbell camera. Court records indicate the Goldmans fear Cerna will harm them.

Goldman and Cerna disagreed over how to cut some trees on their shared property line, according to Bronx News 12.

“He points in the window to me, went like this,” Eric Goldman told NBC New York, moving his hand across his throat. Goldman said Cerna then looked him in the eye and said menacingly, “You’re dead!”

One neighbor heard the tirade, and NBC New York reported that other neighbors said Cerna had issues with other people in the neighborhood. Newsday reported that Cerna had been banned from a nearby Roslyn Harbor community center after having problematic encounters with the staff.

Neighbors like Dennis Palmetto voiced solidarity with the Goldmans. “It shouldn’t be tolerated for a nice couple with a child to come in here, to be scared,” Dennis Palmetto said.

Cerna, who was released on his own recognizance, is next due to appear in court on July 6.