NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A man was bashed in the head with a metal baseball bat on Staten Island this week by an attacker hurling antisemitic vitriol, police said Tuesday as they released images of a suspect.
The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating Monday afternoon's attack in Mariners Harbor. New photos from police appear to show the suspect with the bat used in the assault.
The 25-year-old victim was standing near Grandview Avenue and Netherland Avenue in Mariners Harbor around 2:30 p.m. when his attacker stormed up and asked if he was Jewish.
"You dirty Jew," the assailant told the victim before attacking him with the bat, according to the Daily News.
He used the bat to bash the victim over the back of his head, police said.
The victim suffered a gash to his head and was transported by EMS to Staten Island University Hospital. His condition was unclear.
The attacker fled on foot and was last seen headed northbound on Grandview Avenue toward Netherland Avenue, the NYPD said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Word of the attack came as a new national survey released Tuesday showed nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago.
The American Jewish Committee, a prominent advocacy organization, conducted the survey last fall just as the Israel-Hamas war began in October. The number of American Jews who say they feel less secure in the U.S. jumped 22% from last year's survey.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
