New York's Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman released a statement Monday saying that three weekend incidents that sparked fears of coordinated antisemitic attacks were "not related."
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., took to X on Monday to say New Yorkers were "horrified by the string of antisemitic attacks" that took place in Hewlett, a hamlet on Long Island, over the weekend. In one, an auto shop caught fire; another shop had its windows smashed; a third had a banner affixed to its front gate that read "50K Dead Gazan Kids."
"There has been a tremendous amount of conjecture about three events this past weekend in Hewlett. First, the three events are not related. Second, the fire and the broken window incidents do not appear to be hate- or bias-related," Blakeman said in a statement.
Blakeman’s office did tell Newsmax on Monday that investigations are ongoing and that no further details could be provided at this time.
The fire took place at Avi’s Auto Repair shop; ASAP Restoration had its front window smashed; the banner, also citing a Bible verse from Lamentations (1:12), was affixed to the gate of the Chesed Center, according to reports.
All reportedly happened around 3 a.m. and within close proximity of each other, prompting the conjecture.
"Our policy department does an outstanding job of protecting our community and will continue to devote every resource available to keep us safe," Blakeman’s statement concluded.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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