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Video: Hasidic Man Gets Into Heated Confrontation With Cyclist In Williamsburg
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 9, 2013
Modified May 9, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published May 9, 2013
Modified May 9, 2013
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Whether it's a war of words over bike lanes or confrontations captured on helmetcam, there's long been a lot of tension between Hasidic jews and cyclists in Williamsburg. Cyclist Rafael Huerta posted a video this week, which you can see below (skip to 1:45 to get things rolling), in which one such confrontation almost comes to a boil. And to think: it starts out so gently with "baloney macaroni."
It's hard to tell what exactly started things off—the Hasidic man claims Huerta hit his car, and Huerta says he only did so because the man almost ran him over. It's probably safe to say that if this street (which we believe is Flushing Avenue) had a bike lane, this confrontation likely never would have taken place.
Instead, you have both men claiming they were being harassed by each other. Chaos ensues, with other Hasids surrounding Huerta and cars honking as traffic comes to standstill. The Hasidic man physically doesn't lett Huerta leave the scene until a passerby intervenes and essentially escorts Huerta away.
Tagged
brooklyn
cyclist
hasid
jewish
williamsburg
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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