Woman Charged With Hate Crime After Threatening Jewish Family in Brooklyn, Police Say

NEW YORK — A woman has been charged with assault and hate-crime harassment after allegedly threatening to kill Jews and attacking a father as he walked with his family in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, authorities said.

The incident happened around 11:20 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Nostrand and Willoughby avenues, police said. Investigators said the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Isharae Summers, began following a young Orthodox Jewish couple and their four children during an evening walk.

According to authorities, Summers shouted antisemitic threats as she trailed the family, including statements that she intended to harm Jews and their children. The confrontation escalated when she allegedly struck the father in the chest and head, leaving him with visible swelling and pain.

“She kept saying she was going to kill Jews and hurt my children,” the victim told the New York Daily News in a phone interview. “At that point, I was just focused on getting my wife and kids to safety.”

The man told police he stayed behind to confront the suspect so his wife and children could return home safely. Officers later arrested Summers in the neighborhood.

Summers was charged with assault and multiple counts of aggravated harassment as a hate crime. She was arraigned Sunday and released, court records show.

The family, who live nearby, were not seriously injured, but community leaders said the attack has heightened concern among local Jewish residents amid a broader rise in antisemitic incidents across New York City.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing.