NYPD probes Hanukkah-week stabbing, subway incident in Brooklyn
NEW YORK - The NYPD is investigating a stabbing in Crown Heights as a hate crime after a 35-year-old man was attacked Tuesday afternoon in what authorities say began as a brief verbal encounter.
What we know:
Police say the incident unfolded around 4 p.m. near Kingston Avenue and Lincoln Place.
According to police, the suspect and victim exchanged words before the suspect walked away.
Police are searching for person depicted who they say is wanted in connection with the hate crime assault incident.
The victim followed him down the block, where the argument escalated into a physical confrontation. At some point, police say the suspect pulled out a sharp object and stabbed the victim in the chest.
The victim continued to follow the suspect as he fled across the street and down another block.
He was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released.
What we don't know:
Investigators are looking into reports that the suspect made antisemitic remarks before the stabbing. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is leading the investigation, and police have deployed additional officers to Crown Heights as they search for the man.
Mayor Eric Adams condemned the attack, saying, "We cannot let this hate persist in our city, and we will never back down," adding that "evil, hateful, antisemitic violence must come to an end."
This attack follows a violent incident in Bondi during Hanukkah that authorities abroad are also investigating for potential antisemitic motives.
Police also investigating subway assault on 3 train
Police say they are also looking into an assault Monday night on a southbound 3 train at Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights.
Video shows a man grabbing another rider by the neck during what investigators now believe was a dispute over seats.
According to the New York Post, one man said: "They yelled at me, and the son said, ‘I’ll kill you,'" Mendy Asraf, a 20-year-old yeshiva student visiting from Israel, told The Post, noting the attackers appeared to be a father and son.
Initial reports suggested the attacker made antisemitic remarks, but NYPD officials say that after reviewing video from inside the train and monitoring social media posts, they have no evidence supporting that claim. At this point, police are treating the case as an assault, not a hate crime.
Authorities say they have identified a person of interest in the subway assault and are still searching for him.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District says it is aware of the subway incident and is gathering information.
Police told reporters Wednesday morning that no arrests have been made in either case, and both investigations remain active.
The Source: This report is based on information from the NYPD and the New York Post.