NYPD Hate Crimes unit arrests suspect in BB gun attack on Jewish man, son in front of kosher market
The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Jason Kish of Staten Island
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with an incident in which a Jewish man and his son were shot with a BB gun outside a Staten Island kosher market.
The suspect has been identified as Jason Kish, 25, of Staten Island, and he was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of assault as a hate crime, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment, and assault, an NYPD spokesperson told Fox News.
"Outstanding investigative work by the greatest NYPD detectives," the Staten Island Shmira, a local Jewish neighborhood watch group, tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident took place on Sunday, when a 32-year-old man and his 7-year-old son – both wearing yarmulkes – were standing outside the Island Kosher market on Victory Boulevard in the Castleton Corners neighborhood of Staten Island.
JEWISH MAN, SON SHOT WITH BBS OUTSIDE NYC KOSHER MARKET IN POSSIBLE HATE CRIME
Police said at the time that an individual fired multiple shots from a BB gun, striking the adult man in the chest and his son in the ear, and that the suspect fled in a black Ford Mustang with a covered rear license plate. The NYPD told Fox News that neither victim was hospitalized, and that so far no arrests have been made.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The NYPD spokesperson said the investigation remains ongoing. While Kish's arrest charges include assault as a hate crime, it will ultimately be up to prosecutors with the Richmond County District Attorney's Office to determine what charges to file against Kish in court.
A New York Police Department (NYPD) vehicle. A woman with a long criminal history is accused of stealing a wallet from man crushed by a truck in Manhattan. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The incident happened at a time of rising antisemitism in New York and throughout the U.S. Antisemitic incidents in New York City were up 125% in November when compared to November of last year, Fox 5 NY reported, citing NYPD data.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Antisemitic rhetoric has also been prevalent from influential figures including local NBA star Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. Irving recently promoted an antisemitic film on social media, leading to an eight-game suspension. He eventually apologized.