Video shared Wednesday by Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol Wednesday appears to show a man in a vehicle attempting to run over religious Jews in Brooklyn.
The New York safety patrol alleged that the driver shouted “antisemitic slurs” during the episode and that they and other volunteer organizations assisted the New York Police Department (NYPD) with apprehending and arresting the suspect. (RELATED: Alvin Bragg Charges Failed New York Politician Who Allegedly Punched Multiple Young Women With Hate Crimes)
This subject jumped the curb, attempting to mow down pedestrians while shouting antisemitic slurs. Thanks to the outstanding collaborative efforts between our volunteers, @BPShomrim, and @ShomrimCH volunteers, he was ultimately apprehended and arrested by @NYPD63Pct. pic.twitter.com/Cur0MMmhRS
— Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol (@FlatbushShomrim) May 30, 2024
The footage shows a car maneuvering dangerously close to Jewish bystanders as they tried to evade being rammed. The driver allegedly shouted “I’m gonna kill all the Jews” as he tried to ram Orthodox Jewish students and a rabbi outside a Jewish school, sources told the New York Post.
The police reportedly identified the suspect as 58-year-old Asghar Ali, a Pakistani-born taxi cab driver with a past of mental illness. Authorities have charged him with attempted murder, attempted assault and hate-crime charges, among others, the outlet reported. Ali was found without a valid taxi license, according to the outlet. The police have no evidence the suspect was linked to a radical group and do not think this was a terrorist attack, sources told the outlet.
No one was injured in the apparent attack, according to police, the New York Post reported.
Bob Moskovitz, the executive coordinator of Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol, told the outlet that his agency was able to track down the suspect based on his vintage car. “We were able to retrieve the video footage. We got the guy’s plate number,” he reportedly said. “obviously it was a very distinct car, a Crown Vic, an old model. You don’t see to many of those around.”
“We were told by the people at the school that he hangs around, he drives around the neighborhood,” Moskovitz told the outlet. “And one of our members, when he was doing his daily patrol canvassing around the neighborhood, saw the car.”
“I came in, and the boys were like, ‘Did you see the cameras? Did you see the cameras?’” Rabbi Twersky, a teacher at the Jewish school where the incident happened, told the outlet. “I’m more scared for them. I’m much more scared than they are — their adrenaline is up.”
“We were very pleased to be able to apprehend this individual,” Moskovitz reportedly said. “This is not somebody that we want driving around the streets, especially with this antisemitic, anti-Jewish climate that’s out there. So we were glad to be able to put this to rest.”
