Jewish Man Stabbed Near Brooklyn Synagogue, Police Say

BROOKLYN, NY — A man making antisemitic statements stabbed a stranger in a hateful attack near the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Crown Heights on Saturday, according to police.

Police say the suspect, Vincent Sumpter, 22, yelled out "Free Palestine" before attacking the victim, whose identity has not been released.

A surveillance video posted on social media shows Sumpter going after a group of men walking on the street with a knife, slashing one of them in the stomach. The attack occurred early Saturday morning in Crown Heights.

According to Yaacov Behrman, a spokesperson for Chabad-Lubavitch, Sumpter also allegedly asked, "Do you want to die?" before stabbing the victim.

"This is an extremely serious incident. The victim could have been killed. This act of hateful violence highlights the dangerous impact of anti-Semitic incitement and hate," Behrman said. "When hate and incitement against a group are preached, it invariably leads to violence."

Sumpter has since been charged with several counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon.