Suspect Arrested After Antisemitic Assault in Forest Hills

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Rabbi Helped Track Attacker To Subway

A man accused of physically assaulting a rabbi while shouting antisemitic slurs in Forest Hills was arrested this past Tuesday afternoon after a coordinated effort involving police and local community members led authorities to track the suspect onto the subway, according to the victim and law enforcement accounts.

The incident occurred shortly after 2:00 p.m. near the intersection of Yellowstone Boulevard and Queens Boulevard, by Jewel Avenue, as snow from a weekend storm still covered the sidewalks.

Rabbi David Shushan, a youth leader at Bukharian Jewish Community Center, said he was walking along the corridor when an unknown man approached him and began yelling anti-Jewish epithets. Without warning, the suspect punched him in the chest.

“I didn’t know him, and there was no interaction beforehand,” Rabbi Shushan said in an exclusive interview with the BJL. “He just came up and attacked.”

Rabbi Shushan said he defended himself, and the confrontation quickly escalated into a physical struggle. The two men fell to the ground and continued fighting on the snow-covered sidewalk as pedestrians and motorists passed by.

According to Rabbi Shushan, despite multiple people being present, no one intervened until a driver stopped his car and stepped in to separate the two men. The suspect then fled the scene.

The rabbi personally recorded video of the attacker, who did not attempt to conceal his face. Rabbi Shushan shared the footage with police and members of the local Jewish community in an effort to identify and locate the suspect.

Rabbi Shushan said he initially attempted to find officers nearby but did not encounter police immediately, despite being close to the 112th precinct. While searching for assistance, he learned from community members that the suspect had been spotted heading toward the subway.

Approximately ten minutes after the initial assault, Rabbi Shushan said the suspect briefly returned to the area. During that encounter, the man made a hand gesture suggesting he had a gun, prompting Rabbi Shushan to back off as the suspect fled toward the subway station.

Community members tracking the suspect’s movements alerted Rabbi Shushan, who then accompanied police to the subway station where the man had last been seen.

According to Rabbi Shushan, MTA personnel managed to stop a subway train in a targeted operation. The doors of most cars opened, while one car remained closed. When that door eventually opened, the suspect exited and appeared visibly startled upon seeing Rabbi Shushan on the platform.

Police officers immediately moved in and placed the suspect under arrest. The entire sequence—from the initial assault to the arrest—took approximately 30 minutes, Rabbi Shushan said.

The suspect’s name and charges had not been released at press time.

Rabbi Shushan credited the arrest to the quick dissemination of the video, coordination among community members, and police response. He said the incident underscores the vulnerability of visibly Jewish New Yorkers amid a continued rise in reported antisemitic incidents across the city.

“This could have ended very differently,” he said. “If he had gotten away, there would have been no accountability.”

Rabbi Shushan, originally from France, has lived in New York for many years and currently works with Jewish youth and young adults in Queens. He did not sustain injuries requiring medical treatment.

The NYPD has not released additional details regarding the investigation.