Brooklyn teens target Jewish youth, synagogue in potential bias crimes, police say
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Officials are investigating a group of teenagers in Brooklyn after a string of three incidents in which Jewish youths were targeted and a metal pipe was thrown through a synagogue window.
The incidents, which are being investigated as bias crimes, happened Saturday evening within a period of 45 minutes in Bed-Stuy.
MORE: NYC sees uptick in anti-Semitic bias attacks as overall crime declines, NYPD says
The teens, who police believe are between the ages of 12 and 14, first approached a 14-year-old Jewish boy from behind, knocked off his hat and pushed him. Police said the group then threw a metal pipe into the front glass window of a synagogue on the corner of Myrtle and Franklin avenues.
As the group ran away from the scene, they pushed a 10-year-old Jewish girl to the ground, police said.
"When you look at the totality of what we have here, there is a nexus to the jewish faith in all three," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea during a press conference.
UPDATE: Police have made arrests in connection with these incidents, but the suspects are said to be juveniles and will not be publicly identified.
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