Four individuals were arrested on suspicion of carrying out attacks against Jews in the Town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. The alleged perpetrators, all aged between 17 to 19 years old, face charges for crimes carried out in the heavily ultra-Orthodox Jewish area of Monsey.
On July 17, Ramapo Police Department (RPD) received reports of people in cars striking ultra-Orthodox pedestrians in Monsey with projectiles.
After investigating the incident, police arrested four individuals on charges of attempted assault as a hate crime, reckless endangerment as a hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon, conspiracy, aggravated harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child.
“I look forward to a time when such attacks on members of the Orthodox and Hasidic communities are a thing of the past.”
Itmar Yeger, Rockland County Legislator
Of the arrested individuals, two were released from custody on bail, one was sent to the Rockland County jail, and one was “released from custody to a parent, pending a family court division appearance due to a qualifying juvenile status,” RPD’s Chief of Police Martin Reilly said in a press conference regarding the arrests.
“Ramapo is a diverse community,” he said. “All people have the basic right to live in our community without fear… We strive to provide that sense of safety and security to all members of the Town of Ramapo.”
Several County Legislators released statements regarding the attacks.
“Every time an attack like this occurs, we condemn it and hope there will not be a repeat incident,” Rockland County Legislator Philip Soskin wrote in a statement. “Yet, here we are again, with the arrests of people who allegedly threw eggs or objects or even shot a BB gun at passersby, all of whom happen to be – and to look like – Orthodox Jews. It is wrong and it is unacceptable.”
History of antisemitism in Monsey
Jews in Monsey have been hit by other instances of antisemitic violence and hate in recent years.
“If these attacks prove to be anti-Semitic, then not only must we seek justice, but we need to regroup as a community and work even harder to try to teach our young people that this is not the way to behave in America,” Soskin wrote.
Itmar Yeger, another Rockland County Legislator, also released a statement regarding the hate crime.“I look forward to a time when such attacks on members of the Orthodox and Hasidic communities are a thing of the past,” he wrote.
“I would also note that hate crimes such as this against any group have no place in our society. Our goal should be to have respect for each other based upon mutual understanding of our differences but more importantly how similar we actually are to each other.”
The Ramapo Police Department worked with the Rockland County Intelligence Center in this case.