NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Staten Island man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly harassed two Jewish men and punched one multiple times in the face in Brooklyn late last month.
Suleiman Othman, 27, is charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime for the Dec. 26 morning incident outside of the 86th Street Foot Locker store in Bay Ridge, police said Tuesday.
Blake Zavadsky and Ilan Kaganovich told The Brooklyn Paper they were both victims of the assault as they waited to buy sneakers from the Foot Locker store. They claimed they were approached because Zavadsky wore a sweatshirt with the symbol of the Israel Defense Forces.
Zavadsky, a senior at the College of Staten Island, said he called them "dirty Jews" and asked "what are we doing in his neighborhood."
Zavadsky, 21, said the suspect punched him multiple times in the face and poured iced coffee on him before fleeing. Kaganovich said he was not attacked.
Cops said Zavadsky suffered a laceration, bruising and swelling to the side of his face and was treated at the scene by EMS.
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