Staten Island Man Convicted in Infamous Boro Park Assault on 13th Avenue on Two Hasidic Jews

A 41-year-old Staten Island man was convicted on Wednesday of attacking two Hasidic Jews in two separate incidents on an October morning in an incident that went viral. 

Farrukh Afzal, of Mariners Harbor, was convicted of second-degree attempted assault, third-degree assault and third-degree menacing following a jury trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court. He faces up to four years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for September 15, 2022. 

On October 14, 2018, the perpetrator was driving a taxi vehicle on 13th Avenue and 44th Street when he attempted to hit a Hasidic man walking the street at around 7:25 am.

Just a minute later, and two blocks down, on 46th Street, the defendant stoped his car and ran towards another Hasidic man, striking the victim and chasing him into the intersection. He then continued beating the victim causing lacerations and bruising to the face and body.

Despite the defendant only attacking people wearing Hasidic garb, and skipping a passerby that wasn’t wearing, the three hate crime charges attached to the above charges against Mr. Afzal were dropped.