State Hate Crimes Force Helps Investigate Williamsburg Attacks

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — City police released new details of three attacks on Jewish men in Williamsburg Monday morning as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio called on the attacks to be investigated as hate crimes.

The three attempted robberies happened within just a few blocks of each other all within the span of an hour, starting around 5 a.m., police said. Police released video of the four teenagers they believe were responsible for all three.

The first attack was on a 71-year-old man who the group of teenage boys punched and searched his pockets before running away empty-handed near 80 Ross St. They then came up to a 67-year-old man near 91 Clymer St. just a half hour later, said "give me your money," punched him, searched his pockets and again ran away empty handed. The boys punched and searched the pockets of a third, 56-year-old man, ten minutes later at 626 Wythe Pl.

The first and third victim were sent to Bellevue Hospital and the second refused medical attention, police said.

NYPD Chief Dermot Shea said Monday that all three attacks are being investigated by the city's Hate Crime Task Force. De Blasio added that there will be additional patrols put in the area to "keep things safe."

The city cops will also get help from the state's Hate Crimes Task Force, who Cuomo called to assist with the investigation.

"I am sickened by Monday's series of assaults on Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg," Cuomo said. "In New York, we have absolutely zero tolerance for such heinous acts; they are completely unacceptable and are repugnant to our values of diversity and inclusion...Anti-Semitism is a growing cancer that has been injected into the nation's body but in New York we will continue to stand united and with one voice condemn any and all acts of hatred and intolerance."

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of these individuals 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 CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are kept strictly confidential.