Man charged with hate crime after admitting to punching woman in NYC subway because she is Jewish: police

A man who allegedly punched a woman in a New York City subway station before telling her he did it because "you are Jewish" earlier this month was arrested on Tuesday and has since been charged with hate crime assault.

Christopher D’Aguiar, 28, was also hit with counts of aggravated harassment, assault, and harassment. The 29-year-old victim, who has not been identified, suffered minor injuries and is recovering.

According to The Messenger, the incident took place inside the 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue subway station on October 14. Around 11:30pm, D’Aguiar allegedly approached the woman as she waited for the 7 train, before proceeding to punch her without provocation.

When asked why he had attacked her in particular, D’Aguiar allegedly said it was because she was a Jew. After explaining his motivation, he fled the scene, and was at large for ten days before police finally caught up with him. 

If found guilty on the hate crime charge, D’Aguiar could face stiffer penalties than were he to have been hit with a regular count of assault.

This case is one of many that have occurred in New York City since October 7, the day Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on civilians in Israel, sparking increased tensions between groups supporting either side across the world.

As the New York Post reports, the New York Police Department has revealed that there have been 51 hate crimes reported in the city since October 9. In 30 of them, the victims were Jewish. In contrast, there were only six such incidents reported during the same time frame last year.

New York City has seen thousands of Israel defenders and pro-Palestinian protestors take to the streets since Hamas launched its latest wave of terror, with many in attendance saying the quiet part out loud with expressions of animosity not just to the Israeli government, but to Jewish people in general.