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By: Fern Sidman
A 20-year-old Brooklyn man has been taken into custody and charged with multiple hate crimes following an alleged antisemitic assault on a Jewish commuter inside a subway station near one of the borough’s busiest transit hubs. The incident, which occurred Monday morning at the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station, has intensified concerns about the continued rise of antisemitic violence in New York City’s public spaces, according to a report on Saturday at VIN News.
Authorities identified the suspect as Neil Hurlock, a Flatlands resident who was arrested Thursday after investigators reviewed surveillance footage of the attack. Police allege that Hurlock punched a 54-year-old Jewish man several times while shouting antisemitic slurs before forcibly removing the victim’s yarmulke and fleeing the scene. The victim was later treated for injuries at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and is currently reported to be in stable condition.
The attack unfolded during the morning commute on the southbound platform of the N train at the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station, one of Brooklyn’s most heavily trafficked subway interchanges. According to law enforcement officials cited by VIN News, the victim had been waiting for a train when the suspect approached him and began verbally harassing him with anti-Jewish insults. Moments later, the confrontation allegedly escalated into physical violence.
Witnesses reported that the suspect repeatedly struck the victim, targeting his head and upper body, while continuing to shout slurs referencing the victim’s Jewish identity. During the altercation, the attacker allegedly ripped the victim’s yarmulke from his head and ran off with it.
Police sources speaking to VIN News described the theft of the religious head covering as a key factor in the decision to charge the suspect with robbery as a hate crime. Investigators say that the removal and theft of the yarmulke, a traditional Jewish skullcap worn as a sign of religious observance, indicated that the attack was motivated by antisemitic animus.
Transit authorities and NYPD detectives launched an immediate investigation after the assault was reported. Surveillance cameras located throughout the station captured images of the suspect both before and after the attack. According to the information provided in the VIN News report, those images were circulated among police units and ultimately helped investigators identify Hurlock as the alleged perpetrator.
Detectives arrested Hurlock at his residence in the Flatlands neighborhood of Brooklyn on Thursday evening. He was subsequently charged with multiple offenses, including robbery as a hate crime, assault as a hate crime, and petit larceny as a hate crime. Additional charges include aggravated harassment and criminal possession of stolen property.
Law enforcement officials told VIN News that prosecutors are pursuing hate crime enhancements because investigators believe the assault was clearly motivated by the victim’s religious identity. Under New York State law, crimes determined to have been committed based on bias against a protected group may carry enhanced penalties.
The victim, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, was transported to SUNY Downstate Medical Center shortly after the attack. Medical personnel treated him for injuries sustained during the assault. While the injuries were not considered life-threatening, authorities noted that the victim required medical evaluation due to repeated blows to the head.
