New York City police are looking for a suspect who punched a Hasidic Jewish man in the face in what investigators believe was a hate crime attack, as recently released statistics show complaints of bias-motivated crimes nearly doubled last year.
The 21-year-old victim was in the area of Troy Avenue and Carroll Street in Brooklyn around 1:20 a.m. Saturday and was wearing clothing worn typically by those of the traditional Hasidic Jewish faith, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said.
The suspect crossed the street, approached the victim, and punched him in the nose, police said. The victim was so disoriented after the attack that he was unable to understand any statements that his attacker made, a law enforcement source added.
The victim suffered a cut to his nose and was treated at the scene before he was released, police said. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is now investigating.
Fox News Digital was first to obtain the NYPD total year-end hate crime statics, which show that the department received 538 reports of hate crimes last year – up 96% from the 275 in 2020.
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Reports of anti-Hispanic hate crimes soared 700%, with 8 last year compared to the single incident in 2020, the NYPD said. But reports of anti-Semitic attacks accounted for 38% – the plurality – of the hate crime cases covered by the NYPD last year.
NYPD seeking the man, pictured, in connection with the Jan. 22 hate crimes attack (NYPD)
(NYPD)
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Monday, former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind said that the NYPD statistics painted “a picture of horror, a picture of out-of-control Jew hatred.”
Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, said he was not surprised by the uptick in anti-Semitic complaints, which rose 54% from 2020 to last year. He said the recent atmosphere is creating “such fear within the community.”
“People are truly afraid of what’s going on. People are taking off their yarmulkes, putting away their stars of David, hiding anything Jewish about them,” he continued. “This is New York. This is America.”
As for other types of hate crimes, NYPD statistics show reports of anti-Asian attacks skyrocketed by a staggering 343% – from 30 in 2020 to 133 in 2021.
Figures provided by NYPD show reports of hate crimes nearly doubled in 2021.
(NYPD)
Last weekend, Michelle Alyssa Go was killed when she was pushed in front of an oncoming train while standing on a platform inside the Times Square subway station. Her alleged attacker, a homeless man named Simon Martial, was inside the station for only nine minutes before he struck, police have said.
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Go, 40, was an Asian American woman and an avid volunteer. Martial, 61, has been charged with second-degree murder and ordered held without bail. Police are still investigating whether the attack was racially motivated.
Yao Pan Ma, a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant, died late last year, more than eight months after he was the victim of a hate crime attack while collecting cans in East Harlem.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 21: A press conference and memorial vigil is held for Yao Pan Mo on the street corner where he was beaten, January 21, 2022 in Harlem, New York City.
(Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images))
His alleged attacker, Jarrod Powell, 49, was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder and hate crime assault. Advocates are now calling for his charges to be upgraded to reflect the victim’s death.
Both Hikind and Asians Fighting Injustice founder Ben Wei said they believed that hate crime offenses go underreported, and that the statistics related to such crimes are likely “lower than reality actually is,” Wei said.
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“Many [Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders] are afraid to report some for a variety of reasons,” Wei said by phone. “There is this cultural feeling that … if we speak out, there is a chance that more retaliation will happen to us, right? That there will be a spotlight shined on us, that maybe other people will mimic these attacks or attack us for speaking out.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 18: Local politicians, activists and members of the public attend an evening vigil for Michelle Go, who was killed in a Times Square subway station last Saturday on January 18, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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He added that there was a lack of accessible “robust services that encourage reporting.”
Wei stressed the need for outreach work in AAPI communities and other communities as a way to bridge gaps and “build better bonds.” It’s part, he said, of Asians Fighting Injustice’s “holistic approach.”
“Going out and going to these other communities, and showing up and showing our faces and working together with other minority communities and other communities in need is also the long-term solution,” Wei continued. “Because that’s how you build those relationships.”
