New York man charged with hate crime after shouting “Free Palestine” and stabbing Jewish man, police say

NEW YORK — A New York man was arrested and charged with a hate crime after police said he shouted “Free Palestine” and then stabbed a Jewish man near a synagogue over the weekend.

According to police, the attack occurred around 2 a.m. Saturday in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, near the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

They say Vincent Sumpter, 22, of Brooklyn, stabbed the 33-year-old victim in the stomach after a verbal argument.

According to police, the victim asked Sumpter why he kept repeating the phrase “Free Palestine.” Sumpter replied, “Do you want to die?” and then stabbed him with a knife, they say.

The victim, whose identity was not determined by police, was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Sumpter pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault as a hate crime and other charges during his arraignment on Sunday, according to prosecutors.

He remains in custody after bail was set at $100,000 cash or $250,000 surety. The Legal Aid Society, which is representing him, declined to comment Monday.

Yaacov Behrman, a local rabbi, confirmed on social media that the victim was a Jewish man with “long-standing ties” to the community.

He said that based on the location of the stabbing and the quick response of paramedics, the man was expected to recover. He also said that local residents chased and detained Sumpter until police arrived.

“This act of hateful violence underscores the dangerous impact of the anti-Semitic incitement and hatred being spread by some local politicians and leaders in New York and across the United States,” Behrman wrote in his post.

“This is a dangerous escalation of the current climate we find ourselves in and it should outrage every New Yorker because it is an attack on every New Yorker,” wrote Mark Treyger, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, on the social platform X, referring to other recent anti-Semitic acts in the city.

Earlier this month, police arrested a woman on hate crime charges for smearing the homes of Brooklyn Museum directors with red paint during a wave of pro-Palestinian protests in June.

According to police, Taylor Pelton, 28, was one of six people seen on surveillance video vandalizing the homes of museum director Anne Pasternak, a Jew.