Queens man indicted on hate crime charges in attack on Jewish tourist in Times Square

A Queens man was indicted on multiple hate crime charges for stalking and punching a Jewish Israeli tourist in Times Square a few days after the Israel-Hamas war began, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced Tuesday.

Yehia Amin allegedly struck a 23-year-old man after following him and his friends through the plaza and yelling antisemitic slurs for more than 10 minutes, the district attorney's office said.

“As alleged, Yehia Amin taunted and punched a tourist after stalking his friends and going on a vile antisemitic tirade that spanned several minutes,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said. “Violence stemming from hate and discrimination will not be tolerated in Manhattan.”

Amin, 28, is charged with two counts of first-degree stalking, third-degree assault and third-degree stalking, all as hate crimes. He is also charged with one count of second-degree aggravated harassment.

The development in New York is the latest in an escalating series of hostilities since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two months ago. Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities fear a rise in hate-fueled violence as people across college campuses, public transit and across the nation face death threats, beatings and stabbings.

Man yelled antisemitic slurs in Times Square

The 23-year-old tourist was walking through Times Square with four friends, all wearing kippahs, at around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 when they passed by Amin. He proceeded to follow them for multiple city blocks and played what Amin later described as "Hamas music" on his Bluetooth speaker while making violent antisemitic remarks such as "All Jews should die," officials said.

The group tried to report Amin to a security guard, but the harassment continued. They tried to walk to a train station so they could leave Times Square, but he followed them while saying "I want to kill you" and "All Jews are crybabies," according to the district attorney's office.

After harassing the group for more than 10 minutes, prosecutors said Amin ran up behind one of the men, who was not named, and punched him in the back of his head, causing redness, swelling and severe pain.

Amin fled, and the group ran after him, soon joined by a police officer, officials said. While under arrest, Amin allegedly continued to yell antisemitic slurs.

Rising assaults since war began

Authorities across the nation are on high alert as a flood of antisemitic, Islamophobic and anti-Arab sentiments have fueled numerous instances of violence since the war began on Oct. 7.

Last month, officials announced an Arizona man was arrested on federal charges for allegedly threatening to execute a rabbi and other Jewish people. An Illinois landlord was charged with murder and hate crime after fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy 26 times and severely injuring his mother. A woman intentionally rammed her car into what she thought was a Jewish school in Indiana. In South Florida, authorities arrested a man after police say he slapped and punched a U.S. Postal Service worker in the face and ripped off her hijab.

Others have taken the last few weeks as a chance to forge stronger bonds and learn about one another through interfaith groups and civil discourse while urging against violence and hate. A Milwaukee-area group of Jewish and Muslim women cultivated friendships across religious divides and have offered words of comfort since the war began. In Ridgewood, New Jersey, a yearslong friendship between a rabbi and imam triumphed through heightened tensions while setting an example of unity and empathy for other communities.