(JTA) — An identifiably Orthodox Jewish man was beaten at a traffic intersection in Brooklyn in an assault that is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The attack took place at about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday in the Borough Park neighborhood. The man, 62, was carrying a special bag containing his prayer shawl and phylacteries and appeared to be walking to morning services.
The attack, captured on local surveillance video cameras, occurred when an unidentified younger man got out of his car and chased the Jewish man into the middle of the intersection where he began throwing him down on the road and beating him.
After several beatings another elderly Jewish man attempts to intervene and is chased off by the assailant.
Police say the incident began after a verbal argument broke out between to the two men while the victim was crossing the street.
New York police officers and volunteers from the Borough Park Shomrim volunteer patrol responded to calls about the attack. The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force reportedly has interviewed the victim.
The assailant, identified only as being a 38-year-old male, was arrested and charged with assault, according to CBS.
