New Haven police look to identify man who yelled anti-Semitic remarks at a group
New Haven police are looking for a man they said approached Jewish community members and made anti-Semitic comments.
The incident happened on Tuesday around 3:50 p.m. in the Crown Street and Temple Street area.
Police were approached by the victims, a New Haven man in his 40s, a New Jersey man in his mid-twenties, and another man who wished to remain anonymous. They told police that while they were standing on the sidewalk, a man they did not know began yelling at them from about 20 feet away.
According to police, the man appeared agitated and began yelling anti-Semitic statements at the men, and shouted “get out of my city,” and “go back where you belong.” Police said the men were “visibly identifiable members of the Jewish community.”
The victims also told police that the man approached them while continuing to yell at them and smelled of alcohol.
The suspect tried to shove a fourth person who tried to intervene, according to officials. The men told police the suspect threw a rolled-up newspaper at them, pointed at one of the men’s yarmulkes before “slapping it to the ground,” before walking away on Crown Street towards downtown.
Police used video surveillance in the area to corroborate the victims’ accounts.
New Haven police are looking to identify the man and speak with any other potential witnesses. Anyone with information can call the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6304, use the department’s anonymous tip line at 866-888-TIPS (8477), or email RTCC@newhavenct.gov.
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