A man strolling in Central Park was accosted by a homeless man who spit in his face and screamed “Hitler was right,” cops said Wednesday.
Police released footage of the on-the-loose suspect, who was carrying several bags and had two metal water bottles hanging over his neck, in the hopes someone recognizes him.
The 65-year-old victim, who is Jewish, was just exiting the park at E. 68th St. when the attacker stormed up to him on Fifth Ave. about 4:10 p.m. July 27 clash, cops said.
“Should I slap you or punch you?” the assailant asked as he yanked down his surgical mask the victim was wearing and spat in his face. The attacker screamed “Hitler was right!” before running off down Madison Ave.
The victim was rattled but unharmed, cops said.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
Police searching the area recovered surveillance footage of the suspect, who was sporting sunglasses, a bucket hat, black pants and a multi-colored shirt. He also had a fanny pack and was carrying two large bags and had a backpack on his back.
As of Sunday, the NYPD has investigated 240 hate crimes against Jews in the city this year, a 73% jump from the 138 recorded by this time last year. Many of the bias incidents were spurred by heightened tensions over Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, which began Oct. 7, cops believe.
The July 27 incident comes as hate crimes against Jews in New York State jumped by 89% between 2018 and 2023, from 253 incidents to 477, a new study released by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli shows.
Last year 44% of all recorded hate crime incidents were targeted against Jewish victims, the report says.
Anyone with information on the suspect in the July attack is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
