A man attacked a Jewish man with a rock in a Crown Heights park Tuesday morning, police said.
The suspect began punching the 63-year-old man, who was wearing traditional Jewish attire, while he was exercising in the Lincoln Terrace Park, near Buffalo Avenue and East New York Avenue, at about 7:40 a.m., police said.
The victim tried to defend himself, but the suspect then struck him in the face with a rock, police said. The 63-year-old man was taken to Maimonides Medical Center and treated for dental injuries and a laceration to the head, cops said.
Police said there was no interaction between the suspect and the victim prior to the attack.
City Councilman Chaim Deutsch shared an image on Twitter of a large rectangular stone, saying it was the rock allegedly used in the attack.
A 64 year old Jewish man was violently assaulted in Rochester Park in Crown Heights. THIS is the weapon that was used against him.
— Councilman Deutsch (@ChaimDeutsch) Aug 239, 2019
Has it become too dangerous for openly religious Jewish men to walk the streets of NYC?
@NYPDHateCrimes is currently investigating this attack. pic.twitter.com/iWMHYzEMGO https://t.co/2IO74a5edp
“Has it become too dangerous for openly religious Jewish men to walk the streets of NYC?” he wrote in the post.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also spoke out about the attack, writing on Twitter, “This city will stop at nothing to protect our communities from hate and violence.”
Police released a video of the suspect Tuesday night. The department’s Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating.
