Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Hasidic Man Stabbed In Possible Crown Heights Hate Crime
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 11, 2016
Modified Feb 11, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 11, 2016
Modified Feb 11, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A 25-year-old Hasidic man was stabbed without warning while walking on a Brooklyn street yesterday just before noon. NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said, "He was dressed in Hasidic garb. Right now we’re looking at it as a possible hate crime because he’s dressed in that fashion."
According to police, the victim, Yehuda Brikman, was in front of 646 Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights when he was "stabbed on the left side of his back by an unknown person. When the victim turned around, he saw a male running on the street away from him."
Brikman, who is the son of a prominent rabbi, was taken to Kings County Hospital where he is in stable condition after "sustain[ing] a collapsed lung."
During a press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was "very concerned about" the stabbing, and a police source tells the NY Times that the NYPD is still investigating the stabbing of a Jewish emergency medical service volunteer in Crown Heights last fall, and investigators are exploring whether the cases are related.
In that November 3 incident, the off-duty Hatzolah worker was stabbed by a fleeing suspect and suffered a two-inch laceration in the shoulder.
The authorities released surveillance video of the suspect in yesterday's attack, describing him as between 20 and 30 years old, 5'10" and 180 pounds, and wearing a black bookbag, last seen wearing a dark colored jacket, blue hooded sweater, dark colored pants and black boots.
The Anti-Defamation League, which is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the attacker, said, "Brooklyn’s Jewish community is once again suffering from apparent targeted acts of hate with this latest stabbing in Crown Heights. This alleged hate crime is just one in a series of traumatic attacks over the past several months in which Jews across the city, especially in Brooklyn, have been singled out for violence. While we have not documented a rise in the overall numbers of anti-Semitic incidents in New York City, we are seeing a troubling pattern in which members of the Jewish community in Brooklyn are experiencing the worst kind of anti-Semitism."
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Tagged
brooklyn
Crown Heights
hate crime
stabbing
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
New apartments are coming and there’s nothing these 12 neighborhoods can do to stop it
The Mamdani administration released a list of 12 community districts subject to a “fast-track” housing approval process first initiated by his predecessor.
By
David Brand
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 12:05 a.m. ET
Man fatally stabbed on J train in Queens, NYPD says
A 59-year-old man was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said a person of interest was in custody.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Man fatally stabbed on J train in Queens, NYPD says
A 59-year-old man was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said a person of interest was in custody.
By
Giulia Heyward
NYC delivery workers fear e-bike bills would bring more police stops, racial profiling
By
Carol Chen
Fake QR codes on Manhattan parking meters lead to identity theft charges
By
Charles Lane
Fare hike for NYC Ferry going into effect next month
By
Elizabeth Kim
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .