NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 25-year-old man was charged with a hate crime for shooting a BB gun at a father and his 7-year-old son outside a kosher grocery store on Staten Island, police said Tuesday.
Jason Kish, of the Port Richmond neighborhood, is charged with assault as a hate crime, reckless endangerment, assault and child endangerment.
Authorities said the victims, who were wearing traditional Jewish clothing, were leaving the Island Kosher grocery store at Victory Boulevard and Carmel Avenue in Meiers Corners around 4:20 p.m. Sunday when a black Ford Mustang without license plates pulled up.
Kish then took out a BB gun and fired on the two victims before fleeing the scene, police allege.
The 32-year-old father was struck in the chest, and his son was grazed in the ear.
Both victims declined medical attention at the scene, according to police.
"We came out of the supermarket," the father told the Staten Island Advance. "He stopped, shot at us and flew away."
The arrest comes one day after the NYPD released data showing antisemitic hate crimes jumped by 125% last month compared to November 2021.
Announcing details about Kish's arrest, NYPD Deputy Chief Mike Baldassano said Tuesday that about an hour after the shooting, two officers pulled the black Mustang over with Kish inside.
During the stop, the officers activated their body cameras, identified him and then let him go.
Video evidence from the Hate Crimes Task Force investigation showed that the Mustang had a "very distinctive marking," which was shared within the NYPD, Baldassano said.
When the patrol officers realized they had stopped the same car, they contacted the task force and told them about the car stop.
"We immediately pulled the body camera video," Baldassano added. "Identified the person driving that car and began our investigation."
In addition, he said a member of the community came forward with a Ring doorbell camera video taken two or three blocks from the shooting that showed the driver holding the gun out the window of the car.
Kish, who police say has had two prior arrests, was arrested Tuesday morning based on the evidence.
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials decried the rise in antisemitic attacks during Tuesday's briefing.
"When the boroughs are against hate, the city will be against hate, and the state will be against hate and our country will be against hate," Adams said.
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