66-year-old rabbi attacked in Brooklyn; suspect arrested | Watch

A 66-year-old rabbi was attacked on Wednesday evening in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn. The suspect, 31-year-old Eric Avrutov, cornered him and struck him without provocation. The rabbi was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Minutes earlier, the suspect struck another man at a gas station. The incident is not being investigated as a hate crime.

A 66-year-old rabbi was attacked on Wednesday evening in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. According to the NYPD, the suspect, Eric Avrutov (31), cornered the rabbi and struck him multiple times without provocation. The attack occurred around 9:20 PM on Dahill Road, near Cortelyou Road, and lasted about 20 seconds. Footage of the incident was released by the Shomrim organization in Borough Park. The rabbi was taken to Maimonides Hospital in stable condition. Avrutov was arrested at the scene and charged with assault and harassment. About five minutes earlier, the suspect struck a 60-year-old man at a nearby gas station, and for that incident he was also charged with assault and harassment. Police clarified that the attack on the rabbi is not being investigated as a hate crime. Avrutov has five prior arrests, including an arrest on Sunday on suspicion of striking two people in Brighton Beach and being released under supervision, and another arrest that same day for allegedly violating a protective order. On the same day, another incident against a Jew was reported in Brooklyn: a 48-year-old man chased a Jewish student in Crown Heights while armed with a knife and shouted support for Hitler. Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned both attacks.