Shocking video footage of a Charedi man being brutally assaulted in the middle of a New York street on Sunday morning has gone viral, with the victim describing how he had “feared for his life.”
Lipa Schwartz, 62, was on his way to his synagogue in Borough Park, Brooklyn, when he was attacked by Farrukh Afzal, a 37 year old taxi driver.
The surveillance camera footage shows Mr Afzal savagely beating Mr Schwartz around the head and neck and throwing him to the ground when he tried to get up, before chasing another Orthodox Jewish man who had tried to intervene.
At one point, Mr Schwartz attempted to pick up his bag holding his tallit and tefillin, only to be prevented from doing so by Mr Afzal.
-WARNING - this video is horrifying. An Orthodox Jewish man was assaulted in broad daylight in Brooklyn, New York. We thank @NYPD66Pct for swiftly apprehending the assaulter and extend our best wishes to the victim and his family. pic.twitter.com/EurAyZDiKE
— AJC (@AJCGlobal) October 14, 2018
“I feared for my life”, Mr Shwartz told the BoroPark24 blog.
“The trauma of being attacked by someone who seemed to want revenge will stay with me forever. I want to thank the NYPD, Shomrim and Hatzolah for saving my life.”
Mr Schwartz said that his attacker kept yelling “Allah” during the assault. He said he did not know why he had been attacked, but that it was “probably because I’m Jewish”.
Mr Afzal was subsequently arrested and arraigned later in the day, charged with attempted assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, menacing and harassment. He has eight prior arrests.
"I went to him when he was handcuffed, 'what did I do to you that you tried to murder me? Tell me.' He didn't answer back," Mr Schwartz said.
The car service where Mr Afzal was working informed US news outlets that he had been let go from his job.
