Five Arrested and Charged After Two Friday Night Antisemitic Incidents

by M.C. Millman

The Ramapo Police Department's Investigations Division made five arrests following two incidents that occurred over the last two weekends, as reported on May 2 by Rockland Daily here.

The first incident took place on Friday, April 19, at approximately 9 p.m. While a seventeen-year-old driver from Airmont was speeding down Cragmere Road in Airmont, his seventeen-year-old passenger, a Suffern resident, shot an Orbeez water pellet gun at visibly from individuals walking on the side of the roadway. One victim was hit by the water pellets but remained uninjured. The vehicle's occupants yelled antisemitic slurs before speeding away. Both occupants were arrested and charged with the hate crimes.

The second incident took place also on Friday night. On April 26, at approximately 9:20 p.m., the same 17-year-old Airmont resident was driving on Oxford Drive in Montebello with three passengers when an eighteen-year-old passenger in the car threw trash from the vehicle at pedestrians walking in the roadway, striking a victim on the leg. The victim was uninjured. Once again, witnesses stated that as this vehicle drove by, the vehicle's occupants all yelled antisemitic slurs before speeding off.

At the conclusion of their investigation, Ramapo Detectives charged all four of the vehicle occupants with hate crimes.

The five suspects were processed at the the Ramapo Police Department. Because these crimes were not bail-qualifying, all suspects were released with appearance tickets for a future court date.