Dad, young son wearing yarmulkes shot at with BB gun in possible hate crime, NY cops say

A father and his young son wearing yarmulkes were peppered with BB pellets in a possible hate crime, according to New York City officials.

A video released by a local religious safety patrol on Dec. 5 showed the father and son exiting a grocery store on Staten Island before being shot at with a BB gun. Both were wearing yarmulkes, which are caps traditionally worn by Orthodox Jewish men.

The son, 7, was grazed on his ear, and the father, 35, was struck in the chest. Both refused medical attention, according to CBS News, citing the police.

It happened around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, PIX11 reported.

The New York City Police Department Hate Crime Task Force stated they were “fully aware of this incident” and are “actively investigating.”

The shots appeared to come from a black Ford Mustang that was driving by, the task force stated. The vehicle’s license plate was covered.

A spokesperson for the Hate Crime Task Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

“I feel very frightened,” Bernie Zimmerman, who lives close to the grocery store, told PIX11. “It’s a scary thing to have people shoot pellets at you.”

Citywide, there has been a 125% uptick in antisemitic crimes in November 2022 compared to the same time last year, according to the outlet, citing NYPD figures.

Antisemitic harassment and assault has also been increasing in recent years across the country, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish non-governmental organization.

In 2021, ADL tallied 2,717 antisemitic incidents nationwide, according to its annual report.

“This is a 34% increase from the 2,026 incidents tabulated in 2020 and the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979,” the report stated.

This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Dad, young son wearing yarmulkes shot at with BB gun in possible hate crime, NY cops say."