Corona man criminally charged in antisemitic attack on rabbi in Forest Hills on International Holocaust Remembrance Day: DA

A Corona man was arrested Jan. 27 and charged with hate crime assault and other crimes for an antisemitic attack in broad daylight in Forest Hills on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Eric Zafra-Grosso, 32, of Corona Avenue, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Wednesday on a criminal complaint charging him with assault in the third degree, assault in the third degree as a hate crime, assault in the third degree as a hate crime and aggravated harassment ibn the second degree. Grosso spotted Rabbi David Soussan on Queens Boulevard at Yellowstone Boulevard shorty after 2:15 p.m. as he was walking to his Bukharian Jewish Community Center at 106-16 70th Ave. Grosso allegedly shouted antisemitic rhetoric, including “F**k Jews,” according to the criminal complaint. The two men engaged in a verbal dispute which escalated into violence when Grosso allegedly punched the Rabbi Soussan in the chest and face with a closed fist, causing him to fall to the ground, before fleeing the scene. The victim sustained lacerations and redness to his face, abrasions to his hand and knees, and substantial pain.

Police from the 112th Precinct responded to a 911 call of an assault at the intersection and found the injured rabbi. EMS responded to the location and treated the victim on scene for minor injuries.

“The defendant is charged with felony bias crime charges for allegedly attacking a man wearing a yarmulke and spewing antisemitic slurs at the victim,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The gravity of this alleged assault is compounded by the fact that it occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.”

Queens elected officials who represent the neighborhood expressed their outrage at the attack in which the rabbi was verbally harassed, physically assaulted and threatened for being Jewish in a joint statement on Tuesday.

“This was a targeted act of hate, and this has no place in our community or anywhere in New York City,” the colleagues in government said. “No one should ever fear for their safety because of their religion, identity, or beliefs. The rise in antisemitic incidents across our city and country are deeply concerning, and this attack occurring on Holocaust Remembrance Day underscores the urgent responsibility we all share to confront hate before it escalates into violence.”
Council Member Lynn Schulman, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, state Sens. Joseph Addabbo and Leroy Comrie and Assemblymembers Andrew Hevesi and Sam Berger added that they were relieved the rabbi did not suffer serious injuries and that they stand in solidarity with him and with the Jewish community during this painful moment.

They also thanked the officers from the 112th Precinct for their swift response, but it was Queens Shomrim who sprang into action first after they received a phone call at around 2:30 p.m. of the assault.

Volunteers responded immediately after the suspect fled the scene. Queens Shomrim located Grosso as he boarded a Manhattan-bound train at the Forest Hills-71st Avenue subway station on Queens Boulevard. They notified the 112th Precinct immediately and officers took him into custody.

He was additionally charged with aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime and assault in the third degree.

Courtesy of Queens Shomrim

“We call on all New Yorkers to reject antisemitism and all forms of hatred and to stand united in defense of safety, dignity, and humanity of our neighbors,” the elected officials concluded.

The attack on the rabbi was the third hate crime in the confines of the 112th Precinct so far this year, according to CompStat.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was horrified by the antisemitic assault of the rabbi in a post to social media.

“On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, New Yorkers were confronted with a painful truth: antisemitism is not a thing of the past — it is a present danger that demands action from all of us,” he wrote.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin added that she was appalled by the “horrific antisemitic attack that occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, of all days,” in her own post to socials.

“The act of violence is yet another example of the deeply disturbing pattern of hateful incidents against our Jewish community. It’s why the Council’s Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism is so urgently needed,” the first Jewish speaker of the city council continued. “No New Yorker should ever be subjected to hatred or violence for who they are or how they worship, and we are taking action to put an end to it.”

At arraignment, the Queens District Attorney’s office requested that Grosso be held on $40,000 bail, but Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser Cuellar granted him supervised release. and ordered Grosso to return to court on March 16. If convicted of the top charge, he faces 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.

“Anti-Jewish hate crimes account for far too many bias-motivated incidents in our city, and my office will use every tool at its disposal to hold perpetrators accountable,” Katz said. “We will continue working with our communities to ensure Queens remains a place where everyone can live openly and without fear.”