A New York City woman was captured on video hurling anti-Semitic insults before allegedly assaulting a Jewish passenger by pulling her hair on the subway.
The suspect, Diana Smith from the Bronx, was identified by authorities for purportedly initiating the vile incident on Sunday with a barrage of hateful comments, as reported by The New York Post.
Smith was allegedly aboard a packed train in Lower Manhattan around 2:15 p.m. when she targeted a 23-year-old Jewish woman from the Upper West Side.
A social media video shows Smith, clad in a camouflage jacket, standing on the train while shouting inflammatory statements, including the claim that ‘Jews are eating kids!’
Smith is then seen seemingly addressing the young woman directly, nodding and remarking, ‘You’re a Jew, I smell the kids,’ with a smile.
The footage later shows the woman allegedly reaching towards the victim, with shocked onlookers heard reacting in disbelief, as Smith continues her disturbing tirade.
A few other train passengers tried to calm the situation, but Smith continued shouting, ‘It’s ok for Jews to eat kids, but I can’t choke her now.’
‘I was just assaulted,’ the young victim said as she turned the camera onto herself before panning it back to Smith.
Diana Smith allegedly shouted antisemitic remarks on a NYC subway
She allegedly attacked a 23-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman
The victim said Smith attacked her and ripped out her hair
The victim – a nurse and Montreal native who asked not to be identified – told the Post she had been on the train for just one stop when Smith boarded.
The Bronx woman allegedly began warning a couple about what she claimed were the ‘dangers of Jews stealing wealth.’
Smith allegedly said: ‘You could always see the reflection of a Jew,’ then turned toward the 23-year-old and stared at her while smiling eerily, per the victim.
‘I decided in that moment I really did not want to show fear in the face of that, so I stared at her right back down, and I said, “So you see my reflection?”
‘And she said, “Yeah, and I smell it on you too,”‘ the Jewish woman told the outlet.
Part of the harassment was caught on camera, but after the victim’s phone was knocked from her hand, she said Smith allegedly choked her and pushed her to the ground.
The Jewish woman added her hair was pulled so forcefully that a clump was ripped from her scalp.
No one intervened with Smith’s behavior ‘until it was too late,’ the victim said.
The 23-year-old escaped from the train at the next stop to flag down the police, while another train rider pushed the emergency button.
The victim told the NY Post that she also suffered a concussion from the ordeal
No one intervened with Smith’s behavior ‘until it was too late,’ the victim said
The victim, who blurred herself out of the video, said she was assaulted by Smith
Smith was arrested shortly after, and is facing a slew of charges including hate crime assault, hate crime criminal obstruction of breathing and aggravated harassment, according to court records obtained by the outlet.
‘When I had to identify her, a ton of people were like, “Oh, we saw what happened, are you OK?”
‘And, that was extremely triggering for me, because, of course, I’m not OK. I kept just thinking, I’m not in Nazi Germany,’ the woman told the outlet.
The Jewish woman said she suffered a concussion from the ordeal.
‘She’s pure evil, but she was lucid enough to know I was Jewish,’ the victim told the outlet.
