(BrightPress.org) – Fifty-eight-year-old Asghar Ali was arrested by the New York City Police Department and charged with hate crimes for attempting to run over students and staff with his vehicle in front of an Orthodox Jewish school in Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 29th.
Around 11:25 a.m. Ali was seen driving his older model white Crown Victoria in front of the Mesivta Nachlas Yakov School. Video footage shows the vehicle driving over the curb onto the sidewalk and then speeding toward two men wearing Hasidic clothing who fled from the attack. Ali circled the block and once again sped toward three students standing outside the yeshiva. The students fled into a nearby building. The victims were three 18-year-old students and two rabbis, both in their early 40’s. There were no injuries.
Ali did manage to leave the scene after trying to run down the victims but was quickly located by the Shomrim Safety Patrol. NYPD caught up with Ali just after he left a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru. A spokesperson for the police department said Ali shouted antisemitic statements while trying to mow down the victims.
Ali, a Pakistani immigrant, has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years. He claims to be a taxi driver but is not licensed. As of Wednesday night, police had found no evidence that the attack was terror-related. The investigation has not connected Ali to any radical groups online.
Abdullah Mustafa, Ali’s roommate, said that Ali suffers from mental health issues and visits the hospital once every eight to 10 months. Mustafa claims Ali is paranoid and sleeps with a knife under his pillow. Ali was taken to Coney Island Hospital after his arrest.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams called the attack a “disgusting and cowardly act” bred from the normalization of hate. Adams said there is “no place for hate” in NYC and praised the NYPD for quickly apprehending and charging the suspect.
Ali has had four prior arrests.
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