A 23-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime and was recently released on bail following an alleged anti-Semitic incident where he stabbed a Jewish man near a Jewish center in New York City last December.
Armani Charles entered a not guilty plea during his initial court appearance in Brooklyn and was set free on $50,000 bail, according to court documents.
He faces charges that include attempted assault, assault, aggravated harassment, menacing, and a hate crime after reportedly stabbing a 35-year-old Jewish man in the chest on December 16 in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights area.
Authorities confirmed that the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital.
The victim, identified as Elias Rosner, mentioned that before the incident, his assailant was walking down the street shouting anti-Semitic comments.
Rosner recalled the threat made by Charles, “I’m going to kill Jews. I’m going to kill Jews today. I don’t care. If the Holocaust had happened, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Video footage capturing the encounter circulated widely on social media, showing the two men arguing before the stabbing occurred when Rosner pursued Charles after a verbal exchange.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is looking into the matter. Charles is next expected in court in April. Attempts to reach his legal representative were unsuccessful.
