A Jewish man who survived a stabbing in New York City this week has decided to break his silence, asserting, “I believe in standing up to bullies.” He claims that the assailant had been hurling threats of violence against the Jewish community.
The victim, 35-year-old Elias Rosner, was identified following Tuesday’s attack in Brooklyn. In an interview with the New York Post, Rosner recounted that the attacker declared, “I’m going to kill a Jew today,” just before the assault took place.
Rosner described being amidst a group of Jewish individuals when the suspect began making inflammatory statements, even referencing the Holocaust. “I guess I was the one guy that had the bravery to look him in the eye,” Rosner reflected, indicating his resolve in the face of intimidation.
Authorities have released images and a short video of the suspect, who is still at large. The NYPD reports that the confrontation arose from what appeared to be a random street encounter. Fortunately, Rosner’s injuries were not life-threatening, and he received treatment at a local hospital.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is actively investigating this incident, underscoring the seriousness with which they are treating the antisemitic nature of the attack.
The incident is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, police say.
“At approximately 4:10 P.M., in the vicinity of Kingston Avenue and Lincoln Place, in the confines of the 77th Precinct, a 35-year-old male victim was walking when he was approached by an unidentified individual. The unidentified individual made anti-Jewish statements and then proceeded to stab the victim in the chest with a knife,” police told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Footage of the incident circulating on social media shows the two men squaring off in a minutes-long dispute. The would-be victim followed the suspect after their confrontation initially broke off, at which point the suspect allegedly turned and stabbed at the victim.
Split image of the suspect and victim, Elias Rosner, in an antisemitic stabbing in Brooklyn. (NYPD/Facebook/Elias Rosner)
“So, he was waiting. He set a trap up for me a block ahead. He came around the corner and it just started happening,” Rosner told the New York Post.
“So, he brandishes his knife … I’ve been standing all day, and between fight, freeze and flight. I really only had to choose between freeze and fight, and I chose to fight,” he continued.
“I believe in standing up to bullies,” Rosner told the New York Post. “I knew it was on. I luckily had taken off my sweater to use as a sarong to catch the blade. I could just tell he wasn’t going to be doing anything fancy….”
“I was able to catch most of the force of the blade with the sweater and that’s basically what saved my life,” he added.
