A man wielding a knife attempted to enter a bus used by a Jewish preschool in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, New York City, on Friday, according to a report by Collive news.
The perpetrator allegedly fled as the New York Police Department was called to the scene.
The report noted that the bus driver, while speaking to a parent in the borough, noticed a man exit his vehicle. A teacher accompanying the children saw him reach into his car and grab a small knife. The teacher also said he was speaking a language unfamiliar to her.
"When I saw the knife, I began shouting to the bus driver to keep moving. The man began hamming the knife at the door of the bus, banging on the doors and trying to open them. Thank G-d the doors were closed."
The teacher then proceeded to call 911, prompting the attacker to flee the scene. Volunteers from the Shomrim also arrived at the scene quickly, while police allegedly took 30 minutes to arrive.
Police responded to the teacher's criticism by saying that the neighborhood is suffering from a crime epidemic.
"They told me that there is a huge amount of crime happening in the neighborhood now, and they don't have enough officers," the teacher said. "People need to know that there is terrible chaos right now,"
She concluded, "I am terrified of the fact that the schools are planning to be open on Monday, and who knows what could happen?"