Man of South Asian origin arrested for attacking a Hasidic Jewish man

- ADVERTISEMENT -

A man of South Asian origin, Farrukh Afzal, 37, of Staten Island was charged with assault, hate crime, criminal mischief and harassment after he beat up Leopold Schwartz, 62, who is a Hasidic Jew.

According to a CBS New York report, Afzal had mistaken Schwartz for another Hasidic man who had hit his car before the incident, and he ended up beating Schwartz instead.

Schwartz told the New York Post that Afzal just got out of his car in Borough Park at around 7:30 a.m. near 46th Street and 13th Avenue on Sunday, October 14 and attacked him from behind.

Schwartz managed to escape however tripped and fell, allowing Afzal to launch another attack on him.

When a bystander tried to stop the fight, Afzal started beating him up, which relieved Schwartz.

Surveillance video shows Afzal shouting the terms “Israel” and “Allah” during the attack, making Schwartz think that the man was influenced by anti-Semitism however; a relative told the New York Post that he is mentally ill and is off of his medications.

Witnesses kept Afzal at the scene until police arrived and arrested him while Schwartz was taken to Maimonides Medical Center for minor injuries.

Afzal worked for Church Avenue Car Service and has since been fired.