Bomb Threat In Sunset Park Investigated As Possible Hate Crime, Police Say
Hate crime investigators are looking into a case involving a man who threatened to bomb another man’s home in Brooklyn, police said Wednesday.
An unknown man pulled up in a vehicle and yelled “Free Palestine!” at the 36-year-old victim in front of 288 19th St. at 3 p.m. in Sunset Park on Monday, an NYPD spokesperson said.
The suspect continued yelling, “We will kill you and we will come back and blow out your windows. I am Mohammad,” at the victim after driving away from the scene, cops said.
Two incidents in July, involving potential hate crimes in Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, both outside of mosques, prompted cops to investigate the root of the cause.
In Sunset Park, two teen boys were brutally beaten on Ramadan outside Mabine Muslim Community Center (5224 3rd Ave.) after allegedly approaching and exchanging words with the attacker’s girlfriend. Police later said they were investigating the incident as an assault and not a hate crime.
The suspect in the Sunset Park attack, Christopher Vallaro, 31, surrendered to police on July 6 and was charged with assault, menacing, and harassment, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
In Bay Ridge, two men allegedly shouted an anti-Arab slur at a 23-year-old man outside the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge on Fifth Avenue near 68th Street. The victim was apparently leaning on a vehicle near the mosque when one man approached him and shouted, “You f—— Arab,” police sources said.
Note: The case is still under investigation, police say. We will update the post as we know more.
