A black man was beaten up in Williamsburg in December of 2013. 5 Chassidim were arrested – some of them members of the Williamsburg SHomrim Patrol

Now, charges were dropped against Joseph Fried, 27. He had been indicted along with four other men for the attack on 24-year-old Taj Patterson.

Patterson suffered a fractured eye socket, torn retina and multiple contusions. His injuries were so severe he lost vision in his right eye.

But there were doubts that Fried was even there. The witness who identified him changed his story.

“We are dismissing this case in the interest of justice,” prosecutors said in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Friday.

In March, a second defendant, Aharon Hollender, 29,also had his case dismissed for the same reason.

Fried was facing up to 25 years in prison for first-degree gang assault and other charges.

The DA’s office declined to comment.

The three remaining defendants Abraham Winkler, 40, Mayer Herskovic, 22 and Pinchas Braver, 20, have scheduled court dates in February.

(Source: OnlySimchas.com)