An antisemitic attacker viciously snarled “Hitler was right” before spitting in a 65-year-old man’s face on the Upper East Side in broad daylight, according to police.
The disturbing incident occurred around 4:10 p.m. on July 27 at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 68th Street. The assailant, still at large, approached the unsuspecting victim and menacingly asked, “Should I slap you or punch you?” before declaring, “Hitler was right,” authorities reported.
Without warning, the attacker pulled down the victim’s face mask and spat directly in his face, before fleeing toward Madison Avenue. Police have released surveillance footage showing the suspect, described as having a medium complexion, wearing black pants, a black hat, and a multicolored shirt.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident. The victim, fortunately, did not suffer any physical injuries.
This incident is part of a disturbing trend; in July alone, the task force investigated 30 anti-Jewish offenses, a stark increase from the 10 incidents reported during the same period last year.
* The New York Post contributed to this article.