Police in New York City are conducting an urgent search for a man who stabbed a Jewish victim in the chest following a horrifying antisemitic tirade. The attack occurred on the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, sending shockwaves through the local community and prompting renewed concerns about rising hate.
Confrontation on a Brooklyn Street
The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon, just after 4pm, as 35-year-old Elias Rosner was walking down the street. Rosner, a member of the Lubavitch Hasidic community, described getting into an argument with an unidentified man who began shouting antisemitic threats.
"I was waiting in a crowd of Jewish people and this guy started spouting stuff," Rosner told the New York Post. "'I'm going to kill Jewish people, I'm going to kill a Jew today, I don't give a f***, we wouldn't be in this mess if the Holocaust had happened.'"
Rosner said the man looked "very serious" as he made the threats. "I guess I was the one guy that had the bravery to look him in the eye," he added. The encounter escalated when the attacker allegedly set a trap for Rosner a block ahead, coming around a corner to confront him.
A Narrow Escape from a Lethal Attack
According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the suspect made anti-Jewish statements before stabbing Rosner in the chest with a knife. Police have described the violent incident as "seemingly random" after the two men bumped into each other.
Rosner recalled preparing to defend himself as the man brandished the weapon. "I believe in standing up to bullies," he stated. He had removed his sweater, which he used to try and catch the blade. "I could tell he wasn't going to be doing anything fancy," Rosner said.
His quick thinking likely saved his life. "I was able to catch 'most of the force' from the knife with my sweater," he explained. "That's basically what saved my life." The knife penetrated his chest near his heart, but remarkably, Rosner escaped without serious injury. He was treated at Kings County Hospital and later released.
Community Alarm and a Global Context of Fear
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, a spokesperson for the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters, confirmed the antisemitic nature of the assault. He posted on X that the suspect also said "F*** the Jews" and that "it would be okay if the Holocaust happened today."
"This was an antisemitic attack," Behrman wrote. "Hateful rhetoric always leads to violence." He connected the local stabbing to the recent deadly attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Australia, which killed 16 people, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who had ties to Crown Heights.
"After losing friends in Australia on Sunday, it is painfully clear that the world is once again dangerous for Jews," Behrman continued. He warned that the attack in Brooklyn should serve as a "wake-up call" that Jews face danger both in New York and worldwide.
Rosner himself suggested the conflict in Gaza has inflamed antisemitic sentiments, noting the environment is tougher now than in his youth. His personal motto in the face of such threats is: "If you stay ready, you ain't got to be ready."
Police Investigation and Public Appeal
The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is leading the investigation. Authorities have released images of the suspect, who was last seen wearing jeans and a distinctive black varsity jacket with the word 'Genuine' on the back and the number '91' on the arm.
Mayor Eric Adams condemned the violence on X, writing: "Evil, hateful, antisemitic violence must come to an end. We cannot let this hate persist in our city, and we will never back down." He confirmed an increased police presence around synagogues and menorah lightings following the attack in Australia.
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. The NYPD has asked the public to contact its Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
