Police have arrested a suspect who allegedly called a man a "dirty Jew" before bashing him in the head with a baseball bat on Staten Island, CBS News reported on Wednesday.
Police said the victim, 25, was on Grandview Avenue when he was attacked around 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
"He asks me, how do I know that I'm Jewish? Before I know it, his hands are in my face and I start like yelling at him and screaming like for people to come, and he starts backing off and then he's like 'You dirty Jew,' and then he takes out this metal bat," the victim said.
The victim required stitches after the attack.
The suspect who was arrested has been identified as Obadiah Lashley, 29. He has been charged with assault as a hate crime, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, aggravated harassment and menacing.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in New York since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Last week, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said it reported 31 antisemitic hate crimes in January.
Since the start of October, there have been 193 antisemitic incidents reported to police, nearly double the 100 incidents reported during the same four-month period last year, according to the data.
Recent incidents of antisemitism in New York City included two attacks on a kosher restaurant within four days.
In December, a man was indicted on multiple hate crimes in connection with allegedly punching an Israeli tourist in Times Square after making antisemitic remarks including, “Hamas should kill more of you."
In addition, anti-Israel protesters have caused chaos in and around the city, including on Monday, when multiple anti-Israel protesters were arrested after they used cars to halt traffic at the Brooklyn Bridge and two major tunnels during rush hour.
In late December, 26 protesters were arrested during an anti-Israel demonstration that blocked a road to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
A day later, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters shut down the entrance to the World Trade Center in New York City.
At the start of January, anti-Israel protesters yelling inflammatory chants stopped traffic and caused chaos as they descended upon John F. Kennedy International Airport.
A week later, in a demonstration similar to Monday’s, anti-Israel protesters blocked Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, and Holland Tunnel.