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Driver, said on social media to target Jews, hit pedestrians accidently, NYPD says

The NYPD told JNS that it is not investigating a car collision in Brooklyn as a hate crime.

Police Crime Scene Yellow Tape
Police crime scene tape. Credit: Kat Wilcox/Pexels.

The New York City Police Department told JNS on Thursday that an incident involving a driver who turned a corner on Dec. 31 in Brooklyn, N.Y.—hitting people pushing strollers in a crosswalk—is not being investigated as a hate crime.

Video footage of the graphic incident circulated on social media, where users noted that the pedestrians were visibly Jewish and suggested that it was a deliberate antisemitic attack.

The pedestrians required medical care, police told JNS.

“It was reported to police that on Tues., Dec. 31, 2024, at approximately 15:00 hours, a 69-year-old male was operating a 2014 Toyota and made a right turn onto Nostrand Avenue at the intersection of Kings Highway when the vehicle struck three pedestrians crossing Nostrand Avenue,” NYPD stated.

“A 62-year-old female, a 56-year-old female and a 1-year-old male were transported by EMS to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition,” it added.

Vita Fellig is a writer in New York City.
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