Antisemitic Assault on Jewish Subway Rider Sparks Renewed Alarm Over Rising Hate Crimes in NYC

By: Fern Sidman

New York City authorities are investigating an alleged antisemitic assault on a Jewish commuter aboard the city’s subway system, an incident that has once again drawn attention to the troubling rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes in the nation’s largest metropolitan area. According to reports cited by The Algemeiner on Thursday, the New York City Police Department has opened an investigation after a man attacked a visibly Jewish rider while he was traveling on a train earlier this week.

The victim, identified as Jeremy Garrett, recounted the shocking episode in an interview with a local ABC affiliate. Garrett said he was quietly reading a psalm on his phone during his morning commute on Monday when he was suddenly struck on the head by an assailant. The force of the blow knocked his kippah from his head, underscoring the religious dimension of the attack.

Garrett later received medical treatment at a nearby hospital following the incident, according to WABC-TV. Though his injuries were not described as life-threatening, the emotional toll of the assault — particularly given its timing during the Jewish holiday season — has reverberated widely within New York’s Jewish community.

“I thought the window of the subway fell on me,” Garrett recalled in his interview, describing the suddenness of the attack. “We tussled a bit, I was trying to hold him on the train, and then the doors closed, and they opened the doors again, and he ran off.”

For Garrett, the incident carried an additional layer of pain because it occurred on Purim, a holiday that commemorates the survival of the Jewish people from persecution in ancient Persia. Reflecting on the timing, he expressed sorrow but also resilience.

“It’s horrible because it happened on Purim, you know, right before the holiday,” he said.

Despite the violence directed at him, Garrett struck a conciliatory tone when discussing the assailant, stating that while he hopes authorities bring the perpetrator to justice, he does not harbor personal hatred.

“I still want justice, but I do forgive the man,” Garrett said. “They keep coming for us. We still keep living, so we’re not going to stop.”

According to details highlighted in The Algemeiner report, the suspect is described as an African American male who fled the scene shortly after the altercation. Police have not yet announced an arrest, and investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and witness accounts as they attempt to identify the attacker.

The assault is the latest in a series of antisemitic incidents that have shaken New York City in recent months. As The Algemeiner has reported, the city has experienced a sharp increase in hate crimes targeting Jews, raising concerns about the safety of one of the largest Jewish populations in the world.

Earlier this year, another disturbing subway incident occurred when a woman wearing a hat bearing the slogan “F—k Antisemitism” was punched in the face by a stranger. According to the information provided in The Algemeiner report, the suspect reportedly shouted “F—k Jews” before striking the victim.

The attack took place aboard a train near the 116th Street–Columbia University station in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood. The victim fled the railcar after the assault while the perpetrator remained on board, according to local reports. Although she was not seriously injured and did not require medical treatment, the episode further underscored the increasingly hostile climate confronting Jewish residents and commuters.

The pattern of harassment has not been confined to the subway system. Just last month, a 17-year-old student attending the Renaissance Charter School in the Jackson Heights section of Queens allegedly called on classmates to “rise up and kill the Jews,” according to reports cited by The Algemeiner. The statement triggered outrage among community leaders and renewed calls for stronger action against antisemitism in educational institutions.

Such incidents are occurring against the backdrop of a broader surge in antisemitic hate crimes across New York City. According to the most recent statistics released by the NYPD, hate crimes rose dramatically in January 2026 — the first month of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration — with incidents increasing by 182 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

While hate crimes target many communities, Jews have borne the brunt of the violence. Data compiled by the NYPD indicates that Jewish individuals were targeted in 54 percent of all hate crimes recorded in New York City in 2024.

The situation worsened further in 2025. A report released by the city’s Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism in December revealed that anti-Jewish incidents accounted for a staggering 62 percent of all hate crimes during the first quarter of that year.

These figures are particularly striking given that Jewish residents constitute only a relatively small portion of New York City’s overall population. As The Algemeiner has noted in its coverage, the disproportionate targeting of Jews highlights the persistence of antisemitic prejudice in one of the world’s most diverse cities.

Mayor Mamdani’s political positions have also fueled debate within the Jewish community about the city’s response to antisemitism. Mamdani, a far-left democratic socialist who has built much of his political identity around criticism of Israel, has repeatedly accused the Jewish state of practicing “apartheid” and has refused to affirm its right to exist as a Jewish state.

Those statements have alarmed many Jewish leaders and business figures, some of whom fear that the rhetoric may contribute to a climate in which hostility toward Jews becomes normalized. Israeli investors and entrepreneurs with ties to New York have also expressed concern that the city’s political atmosphere may become less welcoming under Mamdani’s leadership.

Meanwhile, everyday acts of violence and intimidation continue to affect the daily lives of Jewish New Yorkers. As The Algemeiner has previously reported, the Orthodox Jewish community in particular has faced repeated assaults in recent years, largely because its members are easily identifiable by traditional religious clothing.

In one particularly troubling series of events, three Hasidic Jews — including children — were attacked within the span of just eight days in late 2024 in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights.

One of those incidents involved an Orthodox Jewish man who was chased and beaten by two attackers after refusing to surrender his cellphone during what appeared to be an attempted robbery. In another case, an African American assailant struck a 13-year-old Jewish boy who was riding his bicycle to school through the heavily Jewish neighborhood.

Only days earlier, a visibly Jewish man had been slashed across the face while walking in Brooklyn, an attack that shocked residents and prompted increased police patrols in the area.

Beyond individual assaults, Jewish institutions have also been targeted by organized demonstrations that have at times taken on an openly threatening tone. In November 2025, hundreds of protesters gathered outside a prominent New York synagogue and shouted slogans calling for violence against Jews.

The demonstration was widely condemned by Jewish leaders, who warned that the normalization of extremist rhetoric could have dangerous consequences.

Rabbi Mark Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, captured the sense of unease felt by many members of the Jewish community when he spoke to NY1 earlier this year.

“The Jewish community is filled with anxiety and trepidation,” Schneier said in remarks cited by The Algemeiner. “We know that it’s open season.”

At the same time, Schneier emphasized the resilience that has long characterized Jewish history, noting that Jewish communities have endured centuries of persecution while continuing to thrive.

“We’ve encountered these kinds of threats for the last 2,500 years,” he said. “But if anything, there’s never been a greater time to be alive as a Jew than today.”

The assault on Jeremy Garrett illustrates both the vulnerability and the determination that define the Jewish experience in New York today. For Garrett, the attack was deeply unsettling, yet it has not diminished his sense of faith or his connection to his community.

Even as investigators continue their search for the suspect, the incident has sparked renewed calls for city officials, law enforcement agencies, and civic leaders to address the rise in antisemitic violence with greater urgency.

Community advocates argue that combating antisemitism requires more than policing alone. Education, public condemnation of hate speech, and strong political leadership are all necessary to ensure that Jewish residents feel safe in their homes, schools, and places of worship.

As The Algemeiner report emphasized, New York City remains home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the world. Yet the persistence of antisemitic violence threatens to undermine the sense of security that has long defined Jewish life in the city.

Whether the latest attack will prompt meaningful change remains to be seen. For now, it stands as another sobering reminder that even in a city celebrated for its diversity and tolerance, the ancient scourge of antisemitism continues to cast a troubling shadow.