NYPD: Man throws Molotov cocktail near Yeshiva students and business, threatens to kill them
HELL'S KITCHEN, N.Y. (WABC) -- Police are looking for the man who threw a Molotov cocktail near two Yeshiva University students and then threatened them in Manhattan over the weekend.
The incident happened early Friday afternoon in front of a business near the intersection of 9th Avenue and 37th Street in Hell's Kitchen.
Yosef Rachimi, 19, and a fellow student were in front of a business, when police said a man who appeared to be intoxicated threw the Molotov cocktail at the two young men. The man also shouted, "I'll come back with a knife and kill you."
The bottle, which may have contained alcohol, did burst about 3 feet away from the two students. The contents combusted and started a small fire, the stain of which could still be seen on the sidewalk Monday. Rachimi and his friend were not hurt.
The fire was quickly put out by the business owner, while the man who threw it took off. The authorities were called in and are now looking at this as a possible hate crime.
Rachimi is in New York for a year-long study. He blames the incident on reignited tension overseas between Israel and Palestine. He said he remains undeterred by the violence.
Police said it's not clear yet whether the students or business were the intended target of the attack.
This incident happened just days before Mayor Bill de Blasio visits Israel, where a speech about stopping anti-Semitism is on his agenda.
