An elderly Jewish couple was stabbed to death—allegedly by a “disturbed” son—in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jacob and Rachel Sperber, both 75, were killed at 5:20 p.m. on Shabbat in their home, the New York Post reported. Their 46-year-old son is being held as a person of interest, though police haven’t charged him.
“He has been described by locals as a ‘weird,’ ‘awkward’ and having ‘issues,’ while his parents were said to have been ‘very nice’ and ‘quiet’ and beloved in the community,” according to the Post. The accused killer barricaded himself in the apartment after the stabbing, before he was taken out on a stretcher.
Published pictures of the victims suggest that they are Chassidim.
“We all feel that it’s a terrible tragedy that happened here. No words to describe. Very painful,” a neighbor told CBS News.