NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- An antisemitic attacker broke a man’s hand and chipped his tooth in a Central Park assault this week, police said Friday as they released surveillance images of the suspect.
The 63-year-old victim was walking near Terrace Drive and East Drive, off E. 72nd Street, around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, when another man stormed up and attacked him unprovoked.
The attacker struck the victim from behind so hard that he fell, chipping a tooth and breaking his hand, police said.
The assailant spewed antisemitic remarks and referenced rapper Ye during the vicious assault.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has been largely shunned after continual antisemitic comments in recent months. He was permanently suspended from Twitter on Dec. 1 after he posted a picture of a swastika merged with a Star of David. That tweet came hours after he said “I like Hitler” in an interview with Alex Jones.
The suspect in the Central Park attack fled on a bicycle with a trailer containing personal belongings. A sign on the back of the trailer read, “hungry” and “disabled,” police said.
The victim was transported by private means to an area hospital, where he was in stable condition.
The attack, which is being investigated by the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force, came as antisemitic incidents have surged in the city and beyond.
NYPD statistics released last week showed hate crimes were up 70% in November compared to the same month in 2021. The stunning increase was led by a surge in antisemitic incidents, which rose 125%.
Jewish leaders met at the Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side on Monday for a forum on antisemitism. They expressed deep concern about how the echo chamber of social media is fueling anti-Jewish hatred.
At the meeting, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the formation of a state Hate and Bias Prevention Unit.
Many antisemitic incidents go unreported, so the Orthodox Union and the Secure Community Network have built a reporting portal for people to report them.
Anyone with information on the Central Park attack is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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