Man Charged with Hate Crimes after Attacking Muslim Woman on NYC Subway
A video of the incident, which was recorded by the victim, went viral on social media and prompted the police to take action.
The victim, a 23-year-old Yemeni American woman, said she was on her way to a pro-Palestinian rally in Bryant Park on Nov. 17 when the man started to harass her. He called her a "terrorist", grabbed and broke the flag she was carrying, and hit her in the chest, according to her interview and a police statement, NBC News reported on Tuesday.
She then took out her phone and started filming the man, who continued to swipe at her and throw her flag to the ground. The video shows the woman crying for help and the man lunging at her, while other passengers watch in shock.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said she moved to the US from Yemen when she was 15.
She said this was the first time she experienced physical violence because of her religion.
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She also said that when she got off the train, a police officer dismissed her claims and discouraged her from filing a report. She said it was only after the video gained over 1 million views on X and TikTok that she decided to go to the precinct and make an official report.
The police arrested the man, identified as Greg Kutzin, a Manhattan-based finance director, on Nov. 20. He was charged with six hate crimes, including assault, robbery, grand larceny, petit larceny, criminal mischief and harassment. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and was released on his own recognizance.
The woman who filmed her attack said she was concerned about the rise in Islamophobia since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. She said she wanted full accountability for the attacker and justice for other victims.
“What if I didn’t have a video? What if it didn’t go viral? He would have never even got arrested,” she said.
Source: Agencies
