Myles Utz, 31, who previously pleaded not guilty to yelling antisemitic slurs and “Free Palestine” and throwing two glass bottles at a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke in 2024, has now pleaded guilty to a hate crime and assault using a weapon to cause injury.
The 2024 attack took place on Manhattan’s heavily Jewish Upper West Side on June 16, 2024, when Utz targeted the 25-year-old Jew near West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, according to prosecutors.
“The man moved out of the way to avoid being hit and the bottles shattered on the ground,” prosecutors said.
Footage of the incident that circulated on social media appeared to show Utz approach a 74-year-old Jewish man, who wearing a yarmulke, and yell “Free Palestine” and spit at the man.
Police arrested Utz on July 25, 2024. He was sentenced on March 4 to three years of probation, and he has to pay $375 in fees and must complete virtual treatment with the Queens Center for Change, according to court records.
