Hate crimes spike citywide; 51 incidents reported just last week: NYPD

Hate crimes have spiked citywide since conflict exploded earlier this month in the Middle East and sent ripples around the world, according to the NYPD.

Prior to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, hate crimes were down 21% across the five boroughs compared to the same time frame last year, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said in a news briefing.

But last week alone saw 51 hate crimes, putting a dent in this year’s progress. They are now down just 13% when comparing 2023 and 2022, according to Kenny.

Of the dozens of bias crimes last week, 30 were antisemitic. During the same seven-day stretch last year, there were seven such crimes.

There were four attacks against Palestinian people last week, compared to two such incidents in the same time frame last year.

Despite the uptick, hate crimes are still down overall, Kenny emphasized. He attributed the spike to the possibility more people are reporting such crimes amid headlines about Israel’s war on Hamas.

“For lack of a better term, we are saying [there’s] an increase in our decrease,” Kenny said.

As of Oct. 15, 385 people had been the victim of a hate crime, according the NYPD. At the same time last year, 512 people had filed hate crime complaints..

In response to the violence in the Middle East, law enforcement officials in the city and across the state have bolstered security.

On Tuesday, cops arrested Christopher D’Aguiar, who they say punched a 29-year-old woman in the face in an antisemitic attack at a Midtown Manhattan subway station.

D’Aguiar, 28, was charged with assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment, assault and harassment in the Oct. 14 attack in a 7 train passageway inside the station at 42nd St. and Lexington Ave., police said.

“You are Jewish,” D’Aguiar allegedly barked at the woman when she asked why he attacked her.

Last week, Gabi Zaibak, 28, and his brother Eddie Zaibak, 26, were arrested and charged in connection with an Oct. 11 attack on a Muslim man in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Malik Rehman, 21, was eating dinner on the hood of his car with a friend and his brother on 86th St. near Fourth Ave. when the Zaibak brothers slowed down as they drove by.

“They asked us, ‘Are you Palestinian?’ To which we respond, no, because we’re not,” Rehman told the Daily News.

The Zaibak’s replied, “‘F— Palestine! F— Islam! What’s popping? We can pull over right now. We’ll get it shaking.’

Rehman said two more cars pulled up and a group of men pummeled his 19-year-old friend.

In 2016, the Zaibak brothers, who are Jewish, were attacked by three white men screaming F—ing Jews,” police said.