(JTA) — A young Orthodox Jewish couple and their baby visiting New York City were slashed by a knife-wielding man near a Manhattan park.
The father fought off the attacker and suffered injuries to his head that needed 12 stitches, according to the local news site BoroPark24. The mother suffered injuries to her lip and the baby to his chin in the incident near Battery Park in downtown Manhattan.
The alleged assailant was arrested and charged with assault and possession of a weapon, among other counts.
The couple, aged 22 and 24, were visiting from Belgium, according to BoroPark24.
According to the New York Post, the assailant was ranting during the attack but was not saying anything that would indicate that the attack was anti-Semitic. But a spokesperson for the New York Police Department said the attack was deemed a “possible bias incident” and the city’s Hate Crime Task Force was also investigating.
The man had spent several years in jail after pleading guilty to attempted murder during a robbery in 2011, according to the Post. He was released recently.
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