A Bronx woman was arrested after allegedly targeting and assaulting a Jewish woman during an antisemitic incident aboard a New York City subway train on Sunday.
According to police, Diana Smith, 34, began making antisemitic remarks while riding a crowded C train in lower Manhattan at approximately 2:15 p.m. before allegedly attacking a 23-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman from Manhattan's Upper West Side.
The victim told the New York Post that the suspect initially directed antisemitic comments at other passengers before focusing her attention on her.
“And then she turned towards me, like very targeted, stared me down, and smiled with this very eerie smile that I’ll never forget," the victim told the New York Post.
The victim said she responded by asking, “So you see my reflection?" after the suspect made comments about Jews. The suspect replied, “Yeah, and I smell it on you too."
Part of the confrontation was recorded on the victim’s phone. In the video, the suspect can be heard shouting, “Jews are eating kids."
Police said the situation escalated when Smith allegedly placed her hand on the victim’s throat. The victim told the New York Post that the suspect then knocked her phone to the floor, grabbed her by the throat, and kicked and shoved her to the ground.
The victim said a clump of her hair was pulled out during the assault.
“When I had to identify her, a ton of people were like, ‘Oh, we saw what happened, are you OK?’ And, that was extremely triggering for me, because, of course, I’m not OK. I kept just thinking, I’m not in Nazi Germany," she recounted.
The victim exited the train at Canal Street and alerted police. Another passenger activated the train’s emergency button, leading to Smith’s arrest.
Court records show Smith has been charged with hate crime assault, hate crime criminal obstruction of breathing, and aggravated harassment.
The victim said that she also suffered a concussion in the attack.
“She’s pure evil, but she was lucid enough to know I was Jewish," she said.