Yet another random slashing has occurred in the Big Apple. This time an Orthodox Jewish man was slashed in the same New York subway station where a previous attack occurred.
The NYPD reports that the victim, an Orthodox Jewish man visiting from Israel, was attacked inside the Bleeker Street station at around 3:15 a.m on Friday.
Abraham Fekete, 55, who speaks only Yiddish, was wearing the traditional Hasidic garb at the time of the attack. Police say the attack was more likely a random attempted robbery as opposed to an anti-Jewish hate crime.
Officials say that the attacker may have demanded money and then attacked Fekete when he did not respond to the demands.
The broken handle of a knife with blood on it was found by investigators near the scene of the attack, but the perpetrator is still on the loose.
Police released images of the attacker and asked residents to be on the lookout for a black male who is likely a homeless person. He had dreadlocks-styled hair and was wearing an orange hoodie.
The Israeli visitor was slashed on his hands, arm, and neck and is now in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital Center.
Mr. Fekete is the second person in three months to be slashed at the Bleeker Station. In January a 71-year-old woman was attacked and slashed in the face as she tried to exit a northbound D train.
City officials are stumped by the great jump in slashing attacks this year. Attacks are up at least 20 percent over last year, the NYPD reports.
Some have worried that each new slashing begets the next. As every new incident is reported, others get the idea in their heads and perpetrate copycat crimes.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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