NYC antisemitic crimes up nearly 300% in January, latest involves Jewish man ambushed from behind

Antisemitic crimes in New York City have spiked nearly 300% in January year over year as the NYPD investigates at least two more alleged hate crimes that targeted Jewish people over the weekend. 

There were 15 hate crimes committed against Jewish people in January – a 275% increase compared to the four hate crimes recorded in January 2021, according to NYPD statistics provided to Fox News Digital.

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And just four days into February, the number of antisemitic crimes continued to rise after reports that yeshiva school buses were tagged with Swastika graffiti and a Jewish man dressed in Hasidic attire was ambushed from behind. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force said it is investigating both incidents.

"The Jewish community is on extreme edge and this violence has got to stop," Scott Richman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of New York and New Jersey, said Sunday in a written statement after the assault. "It is becoming normalized, and we simply cannot accept that as the state of affairs."

The assault happened in Brooklyn around 10:30 p.m. Friday when an unknown male ran up to a 24-year-old man and punched him in the face from behind, police said. The victim, who was dressed in traditional Hasidic clothing, was treated at the scene for pain to his face.

Police released video showing the suspect brutally punching the victim from behind and knocking the man’s Shtreimel, a fur hat worn by some male members of the Hasidic community, off his head.

A second assault against a visibly identifiable Jewish person was reported to have happened in the same area, but few details were immediately available, according to the ADL.

"Attacks against visibly identifiable Jews here in New York and New Jersey have become practically a weekly occurrence," Richman said.

Meanwhile, the yeshiva school buses were also reported to have been targeted Friday night in Brooklyn and spray painted with Swastikas.

"We are horrified that yeshiva school buses clearly marked in Yiddish could be vandalized in such a way with #hateful symbols, especially on the same day that we found two Jewish men to have been assaulted in the area," the ADL tweeted.

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In 2020, there were 116 complaints involving hate crime incidents against Jewish people, according to NYPD statistics. The data shows that of the 93 people arrested for hate crimes that year, 25 had allegedly committed them against Jewish people.

NYPD data shows that in 2019 there were 242 complaints involving hate crime incidents against Jewish people. Of the 133 people arrested for hate crimes, 47 allegedly committed them against Jewish people, according to the statistics.

The ADL is working with the NYPD to solve the crimes that occurred over the weekend and is offering a $7,500 reward for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.