A Jewish rider was punched repeatedly and robbed during a morning commute, prosecutors say.
Brooklyn, NY– A 20-year-old Brooklyn man has been indicted on multiple hate crime charges following what prosecutors describe as a targeted and unprovoked assault on a Jewish subway rider at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station. The attack, which allegedly unfolded in broad daylight aboard a Manhattan-bound train, left the victim with visible injuries and sent shockwaves through the community.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday that Neil Hurlock was arraigned on an indictment charging him with robbery and assault as hate crimes, along with several related offenses. The victim, who was wearing traditional religious attire at the time, was allegedly singled out and repeatedly struck during the incident.
Details of the alleged subway attack
According to the investigation, the incident occurred on March 2 at approximately 10:45 a.m. Prosecutors allege the defendant, wearing a full-face black mask, followed the victim onto a Coney Island-bound N train and began the attack near the train doors. The defendant allegedly punched the victim in the face multiple times before lifting him and continuing the assault inside the train car.
The victim was allegedly thrown onto subway seats and struck repeatedly again before the suspect fled. Surveillance video captured the defendant’s movements from the time he left his residence to when he exited an Astoria-bound N train at Canal Street, authorities said.
During the attack, the defendant allegedly used anti-Semitic language, including calling the victim a “F—ing Jew,” and forcibly removed the victim’s kippah before fleeing with it. The victim had been reading a religious text and was wearing a kippah and gartel at the time.
Evidence and arrest
As the suspect fled, his cell phone allegedly fell from his pocket and was recovered by the victim. The victim remained on the train until reaching the 56th Street station, where he called 911 and was transported to SUNY Downstate Hospital for treatment of pain, bruising, swelling, and cuts.
An NYPD detective later collected the phone as evidence, and a search warrant executed on the device helped identify the defendant. Authorities said the suspect was arrested following the investigation.
Hurlock has been charged with second-degree robbery as a hate crime, third-degree robbery as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime, petit larceny as a hate crime, third-degree menacing as a hate crime, and additional related charges. He is currently on supervised release and was ordered to return to court on June 3.
District Attorney response
“This defendant is accused of brutally assaulting a man in an unprovoked and senseless act of anti-Semitic hate,” said District Attorney Gonzalez. “The impact of crimes like this radiates through entire communities and we will seek strong accountability because we have no tolerance for hate fueled violence in Brooklyn.”
The case is being prosecuted by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Bureau following an investigation by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
An indictment is an accusation and not proof of guilt.
