You are reading

Jackson Heights Couple Arrested for Attacking Hasidic Men in Dispute Over Social Distancing

Police officers distributed masks to the South Williamsburg community last week (NYPD 90th Precinct Twitter)

May 12, 2020 By Allie Griffin

A Jackson Heights couple was arrested and charged with a hate crime for attacking a group of Hasidic men in Williamsburg Sunday following a dispute over social distancing.

Police arrested Paulo Pinho, 35, and Clelia Pinho, 46, for aggravated harassment as a hate crime on Sunday after the couple assaulted three Hasidic men who they believed were not following social distancing guidelines.

The Pinhos were enraged that the Hasidic men were allegedly not social distancing and confronted them near Bedford Avenue and Ross Street at around 8:37 p.m., police said.

The couple was driving through the neighborhood when they spotted the group and got out of their car to confront them, according to reports, setting off an argument.

The couple then attacked the three men. They allegedly punched them in the face and ripped their face masks off, while making anti-Semitic remarks related to the COVID-19 outbreak, a NYPD spokesperson said.

“You Jews are getting us all sick,” the couple allegedly yelled at the victims, according to multiple news reports.

The three victims, a 29-year-old man, a 33-year-old man and a 34-year-old man, each refused medical attention at the scene.

Williamsburg and Borough Park — which each have large Hasidic communities — have had higher numbers of COVID-19 cases than many neighborhoods in New York City. Hasidic leaders have been criticized for holding large public funerals despite the pandemic.

On Monday Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the incident during his daily press briefing.

“This is obviously absolutely unacceptable in every way,” he said. “It’s something that expresses hate, but also create danger, and that’s unacceptable and we’re not going to allow it here in this city. ”

email the author: news@queenspost.com

5 Comments

Click for Comments 
Sara Ross

Why would they drive from Queens to Brooklyn? Jackson heights is full of immigrants (most who don’t speak English,have section 8 housing and are in the SNAP program, yet have multiple kids). I hope these 2 POS get locked up for at least 50 years.

Reply
Ali. Abdalla

No one Should use his hand But we are in crisis We. see people die Every day. the distance Is always a one of big problem. So the Mayor The governor The president They all asking us to respect the distance. Even the police giving tickets I think this Distance. Should be respect

Reply
Kim

Folks in Jackson Heights are becoming more intolerable towards people of different race , sexual orientation, immigration status. No good Jackson Heights.

3
4
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Repeat hate crime offender charged in anti-Muslim subway attack in Forest Hills: DA

A Southeast Queens man is being held without bail after he was criminally charged with assault in the first degree as a hate crime and other charges for allegedly punching and kicking a Muslim woman on an E train in Forest Hills during the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 18.

Naved Durrni, 34, of 106th Avenue in Jamaica, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday and additionally charged with aggravated harassment in the first and second degrees.

Hate Crimes Task Force investigating bomb threats against Mamdani: NYPD

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force launched a probe into multiple death threats made against Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani after his district office at 24-08 32nd St. in Astoria received four expletive-filled phone voicemails, on various dates, making threatening anti-Muslim statements by an unknown individual, including a threat to blow up his car.

The calls were made from an untraceable number and labeled the mayoral candidate a “terrorist who is not welcome in New York or America” in a message phoned in on Wednesday morning.

Seven teens indicted for attempted murder in brutal Kissena Park gang attack on two girls: DA

A Queens grand jury indicted seven teenagers for attempted murder, gang assault, robbery, and other crimes for an attack on two girls inside Kissena Park in Flushing in early May.

The defendants, who are all 17 years old, were variously arraigned in Queens Supreme Court between June 4 and Wednesday in two separate 25-count indictments with two counts of attempted murder in the second degree. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.

Queens Defenders founder charged with stealing nonprofit funds as second scandal unfolds

The founder of the Queens Defenders and her husband have lawyered up after they were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the non-profit organization.

Former Queens Defenders executive director Lori Zeno, 64, surrendered Wednesday at the Brooklyn federal courthouse. Zeno was arraigned on an indictment charging her and Rashad Ruhani, 55, with wire fraud conspiracy, theft, money laundering conspiracy and other crimes.