New York police have arrested a 20-year-old man following an attack on a Jewish passenger on a Brooklyn subway, an incident now being prosecuted as a hate crime.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Neil Hurlock, was arrested on the evening of March 5 at his home in the Flatlands neighborhood after police identified him through surveillance footage.
The attack occurred around 10:45 a.m. on March 3, on a southbound N train at the Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center station.
According to police, the victim, a 54-year-old man, was sitting on the train when a masked individual approached and repeatedly punched him while shouting religious slurs. The incident occurred amidst rising allegations of antisemitic environments in various locations.
After the assault, the suspect also snatched the victim's religious yarmulke before fleeing the scene.
Victim hospitalized, suspect faces multiple charges
The victim was taken to SUNY Downstate Medical Center and is reported to be in stable condition.
Neil Hurlock now faces several criminal charges, including:
- robbery
- assault
- petit larceny
- aggravated harassment
- criminal possession of stolen property
Three of the charges are classified as hate crimes.
The suspect's arraignment is currently pending.
Suspect has a prior criminal record
According to police records, Hurlock was previously arrested in New York in August 2024 for another incident in Brooklyn.
In that case, the suspect was accused of throwing a brick through a clinic window—a dangerous act of violence similar to the recent case of a man being stabbed randomly in Manhattan—which resulted in a 69-year-old woman and two men, aged 56 and 41, being struck by flying glass shards.
That case was prosecuted as misdemeanor assault, but the Brooklyn District Attorney's office confirmed the records were subsequently sealed according to legal regulations.
