University Heights: Man Sought in Hate Crime Investigation following Antisemitic Harassment

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help identifying the person seen in the attached video, who police say is wanted in connection to an aggravated harassment incident that occurred in the University Heights section of The Bronx on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help identifying the individual seen in the attached media, who they say is wanted in connection to an aggravated harassment incident that occurred in the University Heights section of The Bronx.

Police said that on Thursday, Oct. 26, at around 5.05 a.m., an unidentified man approached the door of 2105 Jerome Avenue and drew a swastika and multiple Ks on the door. “The individual then fled the location on foot, traveling to parts unknown,” a police spokesperson said. “There were no injuries reported.”

Police said the person sought is described as male, has a light complexion and gray hair and is around 50 to 60 years old. They added that the incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

As reported, two other antisemitic incidents were reported in Norwood in recent weeks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently held a roundtable with faith and community leaders to address the uptick in hate crimes across the city. “This is a very painful moment we are all going through, and I don’t have all the answers, which is why hearing from our faith leaders is so crucial,” Adams said. “I’m hoping this circle of dialogue and mutual respect continues to grow as we navigate all that is happening across our planet.”

In the weeks since the Hamas attacks on Southern Israel on Oct. 7, tensions have risen across New York City and elsewhere. The NYPD reported that hate crimes increased citywide by 124% (101 v. 45) in October, compared to September, driven by a 214% (69 v. 22) spike in anti-Jewish incidents. Overall, however, year-to-date citywide hate crimes decreased by 9% (485 v. 531) police said.

In The Bronx, specifically, year-to-date hate crimes as of Nov. 26 were actually down by 38.1 percent compared to last year. In the 52nd Precinct, which covers some or all of the neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bronx Park, and University Heights, year-to-date hate crime incidents as of Nov. 26 remained the same as they were at the same point in 2022.

YEAR-TO-DATE hate crimes in The Bronx as of Nov. 26, 2023.
Source: NYPD

In the 46th Precinct, which covers some or all of the neighborhoods of University Heights, Fordham, Morris Heights and Mount Hope, year-to-date hate crime incidents as of Nov. 26 were down 60 percent compared to the same timeframe last year.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the country, in mid-October, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume, was stabbed to death near Chicago in a probable hate crime.

YEAR-TO-DATE hate crimes in the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx as of Nov. 26, 2023.
Source: NYPD

More recently, in Vermont, three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously injured while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, while speaking a mixture of Arabic and English. Two were also wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.

To read our previous coverage on the local impact of the latest tensions in the Middle East, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, as well as a recent op-ed here.

For our previous coverage on attacks in recent years on Bronx synagogues and their aftermath, click here, here, here, and here.

YEAR-TO-DATE hate crimes in the 46th Precinct in the Bronx as of Nov. 26, 2023.
Source: NYPD

For those wishing to donate to help humanitarian efforts in the Middle East, UNICEF is coordinating aid for those affected by the conflict. Visit https://www.unicefusa.org/ for details.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.