Attack on Yeshiva University student was simple mugging, not hate crime: cops, sources

An attack on a Yeshiva University student on board a Manhattan train Thursday was just a simple mugging and not a hate attack, law enforcement sources said Friday.

The 20-year-old victim was riding a No. 1 train passing through the West 181st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue station – just blocks from the private Jewish university – when four brutes approached and asked for change, the sources said. 

The violent crew then repeatedly punched and kicked the student before fleeing the scene, police said. 

The four masked suspects asked the 20-year-old student for change before pelting him with multiple blows, cops and sources said. NYPD

The victim — who sources say was not wearing any identifiable Jewish garb – was taken to Columbia University Irving Medical Center in stable condition, cops said. 

The beatdown was not believed to be motivated by hate, the sources said.

Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, a clinical assistant professor of Jewish values at Yeshiva’s Sy Syms School of Business, condemned the attack in a post on X. 

The student, who was not wearing any identifiable Jewish garb, was hospitalized in stable condition. X/DBashIdeas

“A Yeshiva University student was violently assaulted tonight by a gang of masked thugs,” Bashevkin wrote. “This is beyond frightening for a visibly Jewish community in NYC.”

Bashevkin said the victim “went to public school and came to YU for its Jewish life.”

In a statement obtained by the Jewish News Syndicate, Yeshiva University described the attack as “an unbiased attempted robbery.” 

“He is back on campus in good condition,” school officials wrote. “YU security is aware of the incident and is coordinating with law enforcement authorities.”

“All YU students, faculty and staff are reminded to exercise caution at all times,” it said. “Please remain alert to your surroundings. When you see something, say something.”

No arrests had been made by Friday, cops said.