New York State police are investigating a serious assault that took place in a popular vacation area, which is being investigated as a possible antisemitic hate crime.
Five women from the Orthodox Jewish community, who were riding bicycles in Greenfield Park in the Catskill Mountains, were attacked last Thursday by occupants of a passing vehicle who sprayed them with high-pressure liquid agricultural fertilizer.
According to reports in local media, a passing vehicle carrying several suspects slowed down near the group of cyclists, and one of the passengers began spraying them with fertilizer using a device resembling a water cannon. Two of the women were directly struck by the heavy spray.
One of the cyclists was hit directly in the face and ear by a powerful stream of liquid. The impact and sudden shock caused her to lose her balance and fall from her bicycle onto the ground.
Another woman was struck in the back. Witnesses reported that before and after the physical attack, the suspects shouted severe curses and antisemitic remarks at the women, who were dressed in traditional Haredi attire.
Large police forces arrived at the scene and began searching the area. As part of the investigation, which has become a priority for both community leaders and law enforcement in the Catskills region - an area heavily visited by Jewish tourists during the summer season - detectives are collecting footage from security cameras at nearby homes and businesses in an effort to locate the vehicle’s license plate and identify the attackers.