A driver hurled antisemitic slurs and swerved his vehicle toward congregants walking to a Brooklyn shul on the first day of Rosh Hashana. The victims were en route to Shaare Shalom on Avenue S near Ocean Avenue around 5:25 p.m. Thursday when the driver��edged toward� them in a threatening manner, according to police.

The motorist reportedly shouted, �Drop dead Zionist!� as he veered toward at least two men, attempting to intimidate them. A 50-year-old witness, who asked to remain anonymous, recounted the incident, telling the NY Post that the driver didn�t attempt to hit him but created a scene.

�He was speeding through the block, with loud foreign music playing,� the witness said. �He visibly stopped those people in the crosswalk and inched up his car. That�s when he made the antisemitic comments.�

Although the driver did not physically harm anyone, the witness was disturbed by the aggressive behavior and hateful remarks. �This guy was definitely reckless, but after I heard he made statements to those individuals, I figured it was a bias incident,� he said.

The driver, described as a man in his 30s, fled the scene in a black Ford Transit truck, heading north on Ocean Avenue, and remains at large.

The NYPD�s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.

In 2024 alone, complaints of antisemitic incidents in New York City have accounted for nearly 56% of all bias reports.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)