Police are investigating an arson in Brooklyn last month as a potential anti-Jewish hate crime, according to the NYPD.
Cops say the suspect approached Shalom Japan restaurant in Williamsburg on Nov. 18, before igniting fire to a pair of window tarps depicting the Star of David at around 4 a.m.
Shortly after setting the Jewish symbol aflame, the suspect fled the S. 4th Street location on foot.
No one was reported injured as a result of the incident, and there was no structural damage to the building, according to police.
No arrests have yet been made, and the investigation by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force remains ongoing.
Cops described the suspect as a male with a dark skin complexion and a thin build. He was last seen wearing black sneakers, a baseball hat, long pants and a long jacket.
In the month of November, when the latest in-depth Police Department data was released, the NYPD recorded 96 hate crimes in the five boroughs — with Jewish individuals comprising the largest group of victims at 62.
The city has seen a spike in anti-Jewish crimes in recent months, sparked by the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.
Since then, perpetrators have targeted the Jewish community with attacks, robberies, vandalism and more over 131 times.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
