Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly assaulted a Jewish man and stole his yarmulke during an antisemitic attack on a subway train in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Monday.
“This incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force,” the New York City Police Department told JNS.
The assault occurred around 10:45 a.m. aboard a southbound N train at the Atlantic Avenue subway station, within the 84th Precinct and Transit District 32, police said.
According to the NYPD, the suspect approached a 54-year-old man and repeatedly punched him in the face and body while making anti-Jewish statements. The attacker then forcibly removed the victim’s yarmulke before fleeing the train.
Police said the suspect was last seen at the Canal Street subway station in Manhattan. He was described as a man with a dark complexion and a slim build, wearing a gray sweatshirt, khaki pants, a black jacket, a black surgical face mask, and black shoes and carrying an orange backpack.
Emergency medical services transported the victim to SUNY Downstate Medical Center in stable condition, authorities stated.
The Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism told local outlet amNewYork that it is in contact with law enforcement regarding the attack.
“No one should be targeted for wearing a yarmulke—or for expressing their faith in any way,” stated Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the office.
“The Mamdani administration is committed to confronting antisemitism head-on and building a New York where every person can live their beliefs openly and safely,” she added.
The NYPD’s Crime Stoppers program released photographs of the suspect and asked anyone with information to contact investigators.
