A man attacked a rabbi in Brooklyn late Wednesday without any provocation, shortly after allegedly punching another man pumping gas nearby, authorities reported.
Eric Avrutov, 31, who has a history of arrests—five to be exact, including one for a similar assault just two days earlier—reportedly attacked the 66-year-old rabbi around 9:20 p.m. on Dahill Road near Cortelyou Road in Kensington. This information comes from police and footage shared by the Boro Park Shomrim patrol.
The rabbi was taken to Maimonides Medical Center and is currently in stable condition.
Videos show that police were quick to respond, apprehending Avrutov after the roughly 20-second assault.
He faces charges of assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, and harassment, as per police reports.
Interestingly, this violent attack isn’t being classified as a hate crime, even though it was reportedly Avrutov’s second random assault of the night, noted the NYPD.
Just five minutes before targeting the rabbi, Avrutov had allegedly struck another man, age 60, in the face at a Shell station on Cortelyou Road while he was pumping gas.
In that incident, he was also charged with assault and harassment, according to officials.
As of Thursday evening, his arraignments for both cases were still pending.
Earlier on Sunday, Avrutov had been arrested for randomly punching a 23-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman at Brighton 12th Street and Brighton Beach Avenue around 11:30 a.m. However, Judge Duane Frankson was forced to release him under supervision since the main charges he faced—misdemeanor assault—were not eligible for bail, as explained by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
That Sunday, he was also taken into custody for allegedly violating an order of protection by appearing at his grandmother’s home in Brooklyn, receiving a charge of criminal contempt, according to prosecutors.
While prosecutors sought to hold him on $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond, Judge Frankson again allowed his release under supervision.
Avrutov’s criminal history includes a charge for gun possession from 2024, along with a criminal trespass arrest and another incident for violating an order of protection, cops indicated.
Although the rabbi’s attack was not labeled a hate crime, there was another disturbing incident involving a Jewish individual in Brooklyn the same night.
A 48-year-old sex offender named Devin Best reportedly chased a Jewish student with a knife in Crown Heights around 2:50 a.m. on Wednesday, shouting “Hail f–king Hitler” as the victim managed to escape.
The troubling attacks drew condemnation from City Hall.
“The attacks on two Jewish New Yorkers in Crown Heights and Boro Park on Wednesday night—especially during the High Holiday season—are horrifying and reprehensible. I appreciate the swift actions of NYPD officers in apprehending the suspects,” stated Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Every New Yorker deserves to live free from harassment and violence. Our administration is committed to employing various strategies to safeguard Jewish New Yorkers and combat antisemitism and hate in all forms.”
