NEW YORK, NY – Two individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with a hate crime assault that occurred in Midtown Manhattan. The arrests were made as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident.
On Monday, November 27, at 7:50 pm Mehwish Omer, a 26-year-old female residing on West 107 Street, New York, NY, was arrested and charged with Hate Crime/Assault and Hate Crime/Criminal Mischief.
Also this morning, Stephanie Gonzalez, a 25-year-old female residing on Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY, was arrested and charged with Attempted Robbery and Hate Crime/Assault.
The arrests come in the wake of an incident on Thursday, November 9, at approximately 9:55 pm, at the corner of Riverside Drive and West 82 Street in Manhattan.
According to reports, a 41-year-old female victim witnessed two unknown females removing Israeli missing person posters from a light pole. A verbal dispute ensued as the victim recorded the incident on her cell phone. The situation escalated when the two females physically assaulted the victim, forcibly removing her Star of David necklace and causing damage to her phone.
The attackers then fled the scene on foot.
The victim sustained minor injuries to her face and neck but declined further medical attention at the scene. The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force has taken charge of the investigation.