Man enters New York Jewish school with hammer, injures child, NYPD investigates antisemitic motive

A man armed with a hammer entered a Jewish school in Queens, New York, on Tuesday, injuring an 8-year-old child. The suspect was arrested at the scene. NYPD is investigating a possible antisemitic motive but believes the incident was likely random.

A 42-year-old man armed with a hammer entered the Jewish Institute of Queens in New York on Tuesday morning, injuring an 8-year-old child. According to police, the suspect first approached a woman nearby, who felt threatened and ran toward the school for safety. The man followed her inside. School security stopped the suspect from entering the building, but during the struggle to remove him, he shoved the child into a fence, causing a head injury. The child was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Police arrested the man at the scene and recovered the hammer; no one was struck with it. The NYPD does not believe the student or the school were the intended target and is not currently treating the incident as antisemitic, though they are investigating all possibilities, including a bias motive. City Councilmember Phil Wong stated that the NYPD is thoroughly investigating. Governor Kathy Hochul called the violence unconscionable and expressed relief that the victim is recovering. Attorney General Letitia James also condemned the attack. The Ohr Avner Day Camp, held at the school, sent a letter to parents describing the intruder as appearing mentally unwell and the incident as random. The security guard restrained the individual until police arrived.