A Jewish Man, 50, was violently attacked by two Black teenagers in Crown Heights on Wednesday evening during what authorities are describing as an attempted robbery, Col Live reported. The incident took place around 7:20 PM, when the victim, a member of the Chabad community, was heading home after exiting the subway station at the corner of President Street and Utica Avenue.
According to eyewitnesses, two Black teens, both masked and estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, approached the man. One of the teens wore an orange bandana, while the other donned a black one. They reportedly confronted the man and asked, “What type of phone do you have?”
A Chassidic man in his 50s was viciously attacked during an attempted robbery in Crown Heights by 2 masked black teens who demanded his phone. They beat him with a wooden cane until it broke. The victim is now in the ER, reportedly in severe pain. Full S… https://t.co/YOYIPTsDup
— COLlive News (@COLLiveNews) November 7, 2024
Attempting to avoid confrontation, the victim tried to walk past the teens, but the suspects escalated their demands, seizing a wooden cane and ordering him to hand over his phone. Before he could comply or attempt to flee, the assailants began striking him repeatedly with the cane. The attack was so intense that the cane eventually splintered in half.
The NYPD is investigating the assault, and no arrests have been reported as of Thursday morning.
At one point during the assault, the victim managed to escape, only for the suspects to pursue him, with one assailant reportedly riding a scooter.
Members of Crown Heights Shmira, a local volunteer security group, responded swiftly, scouring the area for the perpetrators and examining nearby surveillance footage. The organization alerted the NYPD and Hatzalah.
“The victim is in excruciating pain and is currently in the emergency room,” said Yaacov Behrman, Director of the Jewish Future Alliance, a local advocacy group.
This incident follows a spate of assaults in Crown Heights last week, where three other Jewish individuals were attacked. These incidents included a slashing attack, an individual being forcefully knocked down, and a disturbance at a kosher café where a man reportedly harassed customers with antisemitic and anti-Israel remarks. Police say all suspects in these recent incidents were Black men.
