18-Year-Old Arrested For Allegedly Throwing Eggs At Jewish Targets In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – An 18-year-old man is under arrest in a series of egg attacks on Jewish targets in Brooklyn.
Police took Mohib Hoque into custody late Wednesday night and charged him with hate crime assault, hate crime harassment and other counts.
Hoque allegedly hurled an egg at a 38-year-old woman around 6 p.m. Saturday on 38th Street in the Borough Park neighborhood.
Earlier this week, CBS2's Reena Roy spoke with a mother who said her children were caught up in the incident.
"They came home and they were shaking. They were like, 'these guys ran after us and, all of a sudden, eggs being thrown,'" she said. "We felt that we were targeted."
MORE: Exclusive: Mother Of Jewish Children Pelted With Eggs Tells CBS2 'Our Community Is Not Safe Anymore'
About 10 minutes later, Hoque allegedly threw an egg through an open door at Sanz Synagogue on Dahill Road.
"We are really hurt, because it's a very nice community, very quiet," said Morty Brand, who lives next door. "We love our neighbors, and we would expect the neighbors to love us too."
Police are still trying to track down a group of teens accused of hitting a 50-year-old woman in the back with an egg the following day.
"I am thankful for the swift work of the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force in apprehending a suspect in last weekend's anti-Semitic egg attacks," City Councilman Chaim Deutsch said in a statement Wednesday. "We are sending a clear message that hatred and bias of any kind will not be tolerated in New York City. No stone will be left unturned in the pursuit of the perpetrators. I will continue to partner with my colleagues to push for harsher penalties in these cases."
There were nearly 100 incidents of anti-Semitic violence, harassment or vandalism in Brooklyn alone last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
On Tuesday, community leaders unveiled a program to educate area students about the importance of tolerance and inclusion.
