BROOKLYN, NY – An Orthodox Jewish man was assaulted on his way to prayer service at a local synagogue by a teen from Staten Island according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
D.A. Gonzalez today announced that a teenager has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with assault as a hate crime and other related offenses in connection with an unprovoked attack against a Jewish man in Williamsburg.
The victim was walking to a synagogue and wearing traditional Hasidic attire when the attack occurred.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Without warning or provocation, this defendant allegedly assaulted an innocent man simply because of his Jewish faith. Crimes that target individuals because of their religion, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation are a threat to everything we stand for here in Brooklyn. We will now seek to hold the defendant accountable.”
The following information was released in a statement by the D.A.’s office today:
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Logan Jones, 18, of Staten Island. He was arraigned yesterday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an indictment in which he is charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, third degree assault, third-degree menacing as a hate crime, third-degree menacing, third-degree attempted assault as a hate crime, third-degree attempted assault, and second-degree harassment. Bail was set at $30,000 and the defendant was ordered to return to court on June 24, 2022.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on April 1, 2022, at approximately 7:55 p.m., at 58 Gerry Street, the defendant and a group of five individuals allegedly approached the victim, 21, and his wife, as they walked to Shabbat services at their local synagogue. The defendant allegedly suddenly began punching the victim in the face. The defendant and two of the other individuals are alleged to have then repeatedly kicked the victim as he fell to the ground and tried to escape by sliding underneath a truck parked in the street.
According to the investigation, the defendant and the five other individuals allegedly fled the scene after the victim’s wife asked a bystander to call 911. The victim suffered severe head and body pain, an abrasion to the cheek, as well as bruising to the face and mouth.