Early Saturday morning, a young Jewish man was stabbed near the Chabad Headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. According to witnesses, the attacker shouted “Free Palestine” and other antisemitic slurs before assaulting the victim.
Yaacov Behrman, a spokesperson for Chabad-Lubavitch, confirmed the incident on X , stating, “A hate crime stabbing occurred early this morning in Crown Heights, around 2 a.m., near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, close to Chabad Headquarters.” He further detailed that the assailant, described as a Black male in his early 20s, allegedly asked the victim, “Do you want to die?” before stabbing him.
The victim, a young Jewish man, was quickly transported to the hospital and is expected to recover, thanks to the rapid response of paramedics. Behrman also mentioned that local residents pursued the attacker, eventually detaining him until police arrived.
The New York Post reported that 22-year-old Vincent Sumpter from Brooklyn was arrested and charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Jewish leaders condemned the attack, highlighting the rise in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “This is a dangerous escalation of the current climate we are in, and it should outrage every New Yorker because it is an attack on every New Yorker.”