via DCPI
Dec. 5, 2018 By Laura Hanrahan
Police have arrested a Brooklyn man after the assault last week of a Hasidic Jewish man in Williamsburg.
Enrique Gerena, a 33-year-old from Bed-Stuy, was arrested yesterday and charged with a hate crime and assault in the third degree, according to police.
On Nov. 30, Gerena allegedly approached two men dressed in traditional Hasidic clothing outside of 68 Throop Ave. and punched one of the men in the back of the head, causing minor injuries. He then quickly fled the scene, running southbound on Throop Avenue.
Witnesses of the incident attempted to chase Gerena, but he escaped.
Earlier this week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) offered a $5,000 reward for information that led to the arrest of the suspect.
“We remain increasingly concerned by the number of alleged unprovoked assaults on Orthodox Jewish individuals in Brooklyn in recent weeks,” said Evan R. Bernstein, Regional Director of ADL for New York and New Jersey.
This attack comes five days after a 9-year-old Jewish boy was repeatedly punched by an unknown assailant just one block away, at the corner of Throop Avenue and Walton Street.
Gerena is due back in Kings Criminal Court on Dec. 10.
Featured Events
