CBS2 EXCLUSIVE: Hasidic Man Hospitalized After Random Stabbing In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 25-year-old Hasidic Jewish man was stabbed in a random attack in Brooklyn last week -- an act the victim's mother is calling a hate crime.
Yehuda Brikman was attacked by an unknown suspect on Empire Boulevard near Albany Avenue in Crown Heights last Wednesday, CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported.
Brikman's mother, Rivkah, said her son has undergone two surgeries to repair a collapsed lung.
"He felt somebody very close to him almost on his shoulders," Rivkah Brikman said. "He turned around and he saw a man, and before he knew it the man had stabbed him in the back."
The suspect -- wearing a blue hoodie -- was caught on surveillance video running away from the scene.
Brikman was on his way home to his new bride, having just gotten married two weeks ago.
Brikman's mother believes he was attacked for one specific reason:
"He saw a Hasidic boy and he stabbed him and I believe this was a hate crime and he stabbed him because he's a Jewish boy," she said.
The NYPD is currently investigating the incident as a hate crime. So far, no arrests have been made.
"He is so afraid, if God forbid we do not find him there will be another person out there who will get hurt very soon," Rivkah Brikman said.
The Anti-Defamation League is offering a $5,000 reward for information on the suspect.