New York City police are investigating an alleged antisemitic attack that occurred on a subway train Monday night, the second night of Hanukkah.
In a video shared on social media, a group of visibly Orthodox Jewish men — described as young Chabad-Lubavitch students and emissaries returning to Crown Heights from Hanukkah outreach activities in Manhattan — were harassed and assaulted by two Black men aboard a train as it traveled to Brooklyn.
Police at the 77th Precinct told Newsmax that officers responded to a 911 call on a southbound No. 3 train. Upon arrival, officers found two victims, ages 20 and 21.
The victims told police they had been assaulted by two unidentified males, who grabbed their coats and began making verbal threats.
The victims exited at the next station (Nostrand Ave.) and called 911. The perpetrators also left the train and fled in an unknown direction.
Police said the victims suffered no injuries. No arrests have been made thus far.
JFeed reported the confrontation began after the suspects noticed the men's Jewish appearance.
The attackers, described as a father-and-son pair, are accused of following the group across stops, escalating from taunts to antisemitic slurs and threats to kill them.
The video shows a chaotic struggle in a crowded subway car, with shoving and punching as bystanders largely stood back.
Yeshiva World News, citing firsthand testimony from one victim, said the violence intensified when one of the young men began recording on his phone in hopes of documenting the incident for police.
The victim said the younger attacker rushed him after realizing he was being filmed.
The same account described passengers failing to intervene as the group feared the situation was turning deadly.
One assailant grabbed a Chabad Hasid by the neck, and the assault included punches, kicks, and shoving.
The victims reportedly fled one stop before Crown Heights and ran to a nearby police precinct to file a complaint.
The JFeed report said the men suffered minor injuries such as bruising, and that a hate-crime complaint was filed with the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force.
The NYPD describes the task force as a citywide team responsible for investigating hate crimes and related incidents across New York City.
Antisemitic attacks have been in the news in New York and around the world in recent weeks.
Last month, a hateful mob of anti-Israel demonstrators surrounded one of the city's most historic houses of worship, launching blood-chilling chants such as "Globalize the intifada" and "Take another settler out" at Jewish worshippers.
In Australia on Sunday, gunfire erupted during a Hanukkah event in Sydney's Bondi area, killing at least 15 people, police said.
Early indications point to an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack in the Bondi mass shooting, Australian police said late Monday, as investigators examined extremist material and explosive devices recovered during the probe.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.