NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Jewish men were punched, slapped and sprayed with a fire extinguisher in unprovoked assaults in Brooklyn that are being investigated as hate crimes, police said Tuesday.
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The NYPD released surveillance video and images of two suspects in the attacks in Williamsburg on Sunday morning and Monday afternoon.
Police said no words were exchanged before the attacks and all of them were unprovoked. All three victims were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish attire at the time. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.
The first attack happened just after 6 a.m. Sunday at Taylor Street and Lee Avenue, where a 72-year-old man was approached by a group of people, one of whom sprayed him with a fire extinguisher.
Video shows a man coming up from behind the victim on the sidewalk and discharging the extinguisher at him. The attacker then follows the man and continues to spray him from the street, the video shows.
Minutes later and about five blocks away, a 66-year-old man was attacked at Roebling and Third streets.
The victim was approached by a group of people, who are believed to be the same group in the first attack, police said. A man in the group sprayed the victim with a fire extinguisher and punched him in the face.
A third Jewish man reported being pelted with objects in the area around the same time Sunday morning, according to police. Additional details weren't immediately available, and police haven't said if they believe that incident is connected to the other two.
Then on Monday afternoon, a man was slapped across the face as he stood in front of a building at Lynch Street and Marcy Avenue.
The 27-year-old victim was standing outside around 4:30 p.m. when a stranger came up to him and smacked him across the left side of his face.
None of the victims were hospitalized for their injuries, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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