The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has announced the arrest of 25-year-old Jason Kish in connection with a BB gun shooting attack on a 32-year-old Jewish father and his seven-year-old son outside a Staten Island kosher market.
The two targeted individuals were both visibly Jewish – wearing yarmulkas – when they were hit by gel pellets at around 4:20 pm Sunday in front of Island Kosher, at 2212 Victory Boulevard near Carmel Avenue.
The father was hit in the chest, and the boy was hit in the ear by what at first appeared to be BB pellets. A video posted to social media showed the attacker fleeing in a black Ford Mustang with a covered rear license plate.
This black Mustang is wanted in regards to an assault with a BB gun on Victory Blvd, @NYPD121pct & @NYPDHateCrimes is investigating. pic.twitter.com/Or0BpCcHgu
— Staten Island Shomrim safety Patrol (@SISPShomrim) December 5, 2022
Kish, a resident of Staten Island, was arrested Tuesday. Police said Kish fired the pellets while driving by the site in a black Ford Mustang. He was identified using doorbell camera footage from a local resident, and bodycam footage from two police officers who stopped him while driving his car.
He was charged with assault as a hate crime, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment, and assault, the NYPD said.
“Outstanding investigative work by the greatest NYPD detectives,” Staten Island Shmira wrote in a tweet announcing the arrest.
Outstanding investigative work by the greatest NYPD detectives, resulted in the arrest of 25 year old Jason Kish, who was charged with assault of a hate crime, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment and assault.#GreatWork @StatenIslandDA pic.twitter.com/Bi2Pdv4SS9
— Staten Island Shmira (@SISPshmira) December 6, 2022
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon said, “A father and son simply going to the store to buy groceries for their families, like I did the day before in my neighborhood, were shot at by someone that was acting, we believe and we will allege in court, out of hatred. I want to be very clear, there’s no room for hatred in this borough.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams noted at a news conference about the attack that there has been a “substantial increase” in hate crimes – particularly antisemitism – across America, including in New York, home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel.
Adams expressed concern the young boy who was shot would “never walk that street again without thinking about that incident.”
He added, “We are not going to allow hate to run out city. . . We need to stop what’s happening on social media, we need to stop the spreading of this hate, we need to combat it in a very real way.”
A roundtable on the issue was held Wednesday at the White House, hosted by second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
