UPDATE (Friday, June 21 at 1:47 p.m.): While the NYPD just told us that no arrest has been made, social media accounts @community.news and @jewhatedb have revealed what they believe to be the identity of the suspect wanted for spitting on a 74-year-old Jewish man.
Advertisement
“Myles Utz assaulted a visibly elderly Jewish man near W 86th Street & Amsterdam Avenue, shouting Jew hate slurs, throwing glass jars, and spitting at the elderly man and other Jewish individuals nearby,” the Instagram posts read.
The posts also claim that Utz is a 28-year-old Ohio native who “identifies as trans and has been previously attacked and assaulted because of that.”
View this post on Instagram
Original article published on Thursday, June 20 at 2:11 p.m.:
The NYPD has put out an alert about a suspect wanted in connection to an incident of aggravated harassment which took place on the UWS this weekend. It is being investigated as a hate crime.
It happened at about 4 p.m. on Sunday when an unknown male suspect spat at a 74-year-old Jewish man wearing a yarmulke. The incident took place on Amsterdam Avenue between 86th and 87th streets and according to police, the suspect had been “acting disorderly and acting in an unsafe manner” before spitting at the older man.
Advertisement
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @StopAntisemites shows the perpetrator spitting on the man, then backing away and spitting towards him again as bystanders stepped in to support the victim.
“Get the hell away from me,” the 74-year-old can be heard saying before he was spat on. The perpetrator initially charges at the elderly man, but appears to back off as a bystander tries to intervene. He then spits on the man from only a few feet away.
Multiple bystanders then try to shoo the suspect away, at which point he can be heard saying “Free Palestine” as he backs away from the group with a smile on his face.
Another person at the scene responded by yelling, “How are you freeing Palestine right now? All you’re doing is harassing people.”
Others can be heard yelling, “You’re a loser, get out of here,” “Get out of this neighborhood,” and, “F– off!”
NYC (W. 72nd)- a man caught tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis charges at an elderly Jewish man and then spits on him!
He yells “Free Palestine” before finally leaving. pic.twitter.com/XSVwtBjGM5
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) June 17, 2024
Advertisement
It’s unclear from the video what, if anything, provoked the attack. But based on recent spikes of incidents of antisemitism across the city, it is no surprise that this attack may have been unprompted.
Following the incident, the suspect fled on foot south down Amsterdam Avenue. No injuries were reported as a result of this incident and the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
Anyone with relevant information 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 or by sending a direct message to @NYPDTips on Twitter.
He looks like he has enough troubles without being asinine enough to bully an elderly man with political blather.
And yet that’s exactly what he did.
Amsterdam 85-86 not 86-87.
The gentleman with the KIPPAH is a member of my synagogue and an upstanding citizen and a wonderful man. He was attacked by this antisemite/bigot because this man wearing a KIPPAH was noticeably a Jew. This heinous act was 100 percent unprovoked.
Fatso is obviously mentally ill. Good thing other people around stepped in and protected the elderly.
Find this animal and hold him accountable. Intimidating an old man is an act of cowardice and should not be written off as just the act of a mentally ill person. There is no world where this is ok. Thank you to the people who stood up for the victim.
That unhinged needs a beating. I gave him one he has no respect for anyone.
Sicko did the same thing to me a few months ago on 74th Amsterdam. Walking by called me a f ing Jew. Got in his face and he swore he didn’t say anything. An older couple leaned in and told me they heard him and no matter what happens, have my back. Told me he wasn’t worth it and we walked away, only to hear him shout f the Jews. I turned back and the man said please, keep walking the man is obviously troubled. We cross paths again, he’ll have a headache. Don’t be intimidated. Push back. Let them know we’re here and not going anywhere. Animals!
Fat dork has some great fashion sense.
And, he needs a good bra!