Group accused of punching, kicking Hasidic man in unprovoked attack in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
NEW YORK - Police are looking for a group of men accused in an unprovoked attack on a Hasidic man in Brooklyn.
It happened near the intersection of Gerry Street and Harrison Avenue in Williamsburg around 8 p.m. on Friday.
As CBS2's Thalia Perez reports, surveillance video captured the group of six men approaching the 21-year-old Hasidic man, who police say was dressed in traditional attire. They say the men just pounced on the victim without saying a word.
The video is blurry, but you can see the group kicking and punching the victim.
Police on Saturday announced the arrest of a 16-year-old boy in connection to the attack. He is facing gang assault and assault as a hate crime charges.
"It's horrible. I'm just horrified," Park Slope resident Stacy Falberg said.
"I'm not surprised that it happened, but over here, it's dark at night, so if it was nighttime, it's an empty street. No one's ever over here," a Williamsburg resident said.
This attack is part of a disturbing trend. New numbers from the NYPD show there have been 81 antisemitic crimes so far this year. That's up more than 300% from the same time last year.
Police say the victim in this incident suffered minor injuries to his mouth, and they are still searching for five individuals wanted in connection with the attack.
The NYPD's hate crimes task force is investigating.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
