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NYPD arrests 17-year-old antisemitic assault suspect

The teen is suspected of assaulting two young, Orthodox Jewish men before taking off on an electric Citi Bike.

By Dion J. Pierre, The Algemeiner

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has arrested a man suspected of assaulting members of Williamsburg’s Jewish community in two separate attacks, the department’s Hate Crimes Division announced on Wednesday.

On October 23 and 24, a 17-year-old resident of Crown Heights, whose identity remains undisclosed, struck two young, Orthodox Jewish men before taking off on an electric Citi Bike.

The attacks took place during a month when antisemitic hate crimes in New York City increased 11 percent compared to the previous year. The trend followed into November, the NYPD reported on Monday, announcing a 125 percent rise in antisemitic hate crimes across the Five Boroughs.

According to their data, Jewish New Yorkers were the most targeted group, accounting for 60 percent of all hate crimes that occurred.

“The scariest part of reviewing these numbers is the lack of a concrete plan or solutions on how to combat the hate crimes against the most discriminated ethnic minority in New York City,” New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov told The Algemeiner on Monday.

This month, the NYPD has already arrested a suspect accused of shooting a Jewish man and his seven-year-old son with a BB gun outside a kosher market in Staten Island. He is charged with assault, child endangerment, and committing a hate crime.

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In April, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), reported that more antisemitic incidents are recorded in New York than in any other state, accounting for “an astounding 15 percent of the total reported antisemitic incidents across the country.”