PHOTOS: Teens Menace Jewish Boys with Sword in New York City, Police Say

New York City police are searching for three teens they say hurled anti-Semitic statements at six Jewish children while threatening them with a sword, crowbar, and a knife, the New York Daily News reported.

The incident occurred around 7:25 p.m. Saturday near West End Ave. and West 86th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the New York City Police Department Crime Stoppers said in a tweet.

The group of Jewish boys – including a twelve-year-old, three thirteen-year-olds, one fifteen-year-old, and one sixteen-year-old – were walking when the trio of suspects, pictured below, allegedly approached them, Pix 11 reported.

WANTED for MENACING: On 4/2/22 @ 7:25 PM @NYPD20PCT @NYPDHateCrimes vicinity of West 86 St & West End Ave the unidentified individuals approached four victims making anti-Jewish statements while displaying a sword. ANY info call us @ 800-577-TIPS or DM NYPDTips Reward up to $3500 pic.twitter.com/KFa31wDlBH

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 6, 2022

“You’re Jewish, we’re going to come get you. We fight dirty. We don’t fight clean,” one of the teens allegedly said, according to the Daily News. 

Police said the suspect who was brandishing the sword lunged at the Jewish boys, but thankfully, he did not strike any of them, per the Daily News. 

No one was injured during the incident, and the suspects left the scene, Pix 11 noted. The incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force. 

The incident came just a day after police said a group of six assaulted a 21-year-old Hasidic man in an unprovoked attack Friday in Brooklyn, Pix11 reported.

Per the outlet:

Around 7:55 p.m., the 21-year-old victim was walking along Gerry Street near Harrison Avenue when the suspects approached him before punching and kicking him to the ground in an unprovoked attack, authorities said. The group fled the scene, leaving the victim suffering minor injuries to his mouth. He was treated by EMS.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is also investigating the Brooklyn attack.

The incidents come as hate crimes have seen a jarring uptick since Democrat Mayor Eric Adams assumed office. From the time Adams was sworn in on January 1 through April 3, the NYPD crime statistics have accounted for 140 hate crimes, a 57.3 percent jump from the same period last year, which saw 89.