FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 25, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Cops ID suspect in connection with Rego Park vandalism
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Police have identifi ed a suspect they
believe to have drawn a swastika onto the
Rego Park Jewish Center last week.
Th e hate symbol, scribbled onto a sign
outside of the synagogue, located at 97-30
Queens Blvd., was drawn by a man police
believe to be between the ages of 20 and
30 on Wednesday, Feb. 17, around 10:50
a.m., according to the NYPD.
Aft er vandalizing the sign with a marker,
the man fl ed on foot in a unknown
direction, cops said.
Th e anti-Semitic drawing prompted an
immediate response from lawmakers.
Governor Andrew Cuomo directed the
State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to aid
in the investigation as Congresswoman
Grace Meng joined state Senator Toby Ann
Photo courtesy of Cyperstein’s campaign/Inset via NYPD
Stavisky, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi,
City Council candidate Avi Cyperstein removes a swastika scrawled outside the Rego Park Jewish Center.
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz in condemning
Police cuff man behind alleged Flushing assault
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Flushing man who violently
shoved a 52-year-old Asian
woman to the ground and sent
her to the hospital on Tuesday,
Feb. 16, has been arrested and
charged with assault and harassment,
according to the 109th
Precinct.
Chief of Detectives Rodney
Harrison commended the 109th
Precinct Detective Squad for
quickly identifying and apprehending
Patrick Mateo, 47, who
allegedly engaged in a verbal dispute
with the woman Tuesday
aft ernoon outside of a Flushing
bakery at 135-45 Roosevelt Ave.
Police were seeking the public’s
help in identifying Mateo,
who he pushed the woman onto
the ground, causing her to hit her
head against an object, according
to police.
Th e woman, police say, sustained
minor injuries and was
transported by EMS to Booth
Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
Following the incident,
Mateo had fl ed the location in an
unknown direction, police said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s daughter,
Maggie Cheng, took to social
media on Tuesday, posting an
image of Mateo and a description
of the attack on Twitter and
Instagram.
“Hate crime has no place in our
community. Please repost and
HMU if you know who this is,”
Cheng wrote.
Later, Chen posted a surveillance
video of the incident and
asked for the public’s help in identifying
the attacker.
“I am literally heartbroken.
Look at this surveillance video
of this guy attacking my mom,”
Cheng wrote. “Like why bro? She’s
vulnerable and aging. Why?!”
According to Chen, her mother
had received fi ve to 10 stitches on
her head and is doing well.
Chen’s friend, actress Olivia
Munn, had also called for justice
as she shared the image on
Twitter, hoping to track down
Mateo.
“My friend’s mom is a 5’3” 50+
Chinese woman and she was
attacked by this guy in Flushing,
NY yesterday on Main St and
Roosevelt between 2-4pm. She
left the hospital with 10 stitches
in her head. We’re gonna fi nd this
guy. Queens, Internet, please…
do your shit,” Munn wrote.
Th e attack on Cheng’s mother
occurred on the same day
two other Asian women were
attacked in separate incidents in
New York.
Hate incidents have increased
against Asian Americans during
the COVID-19 pandemic,
according to a new report
released by the Asian American
Bar Association of New York
(AABANY).Th e report, “A Rising
Tide of Hate and Violence against
Asian Americans in New York
During COVID-19: Impact,
Causes, and Solutions,” revealed
that between February and May
2020, the NYC Commission on
Human Rights received reports
of 389 coronavirus-related hate
incidents. Of those, 145 complaints
involved anti-Asian sentiment,
representing 37 percent of
all complaints received.
Th e rise of anti-Asian attacks
has prompted local elected offi -
cials, such as Congresswoman
Grace Meng and Councilman
Peter Koo, to denounce the
crimes.Both lawmakers had
shared the 109th Precinct’s images
and video of the incident.
“We’ve seen attacks against
Asians on the rise in NYC and
across the country. Th ese latest
trends are indeed disturbing. We
must speak out and come together
to stop the senseless hate,” Koo
wrote on Twitter.
Meng contacted Cheng’s family
and is asking the public to pray
for the mother’s “quick-healing
physically and mentally and for
real accountability.”
“I’ve spoken with her family.
Th ey’re asking the public
to respect their privacy,” Meng
wrote on Twitter.
the anti-Semitic act of vandalism.
“Th ere is absolutely no room for this
kind of hatred in our community,” the
lawmakers said in a joint statement. “We
have consulted with the NYPD, and are
confi dent that the perpetrator behind this
cowardly off ense will be found, and will
face justice.”
City Council candidate Avi Cyperstein
headed to the house of worship shortly
aft er the incident to scrub the swastika
off the sign.
“Th e neighborhood has been scarred
by hate before and this pattern must end
immediately,” Cyperstein said. “Nobody
should have to experience or witness anti-
Semitic marks anywhere in the world,
especially in the most diverse borough of
New York City, Queens.”
Th e anti-Semitic incident follows a
surge in hate crime incidents, particularly
against Asian Americans, in the borough.
Last week, police arrested Patrick
Mateo, 47, aft er he allegedly shoved a
52-year-old Asian woman while walking
in downtown Flushing on Tuesday, Feb.
16, according to the NYPD. Th e woman
needed 10 stitches to sew up a cut she sustained
during the fall.
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards condemned the rise in hate
crimes and called on the continued eff orts
of the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force, the
Offi ce for the Prevention of Hate Crimes
and the New York City Commission on
Human Rights to put an end to the racist
incidents.
“Th ese disgusting acts of anti-Asian and
anti-Semitic hate were reprehensible, and
those who committed them should be
held accountable to the fullest extent possible,”
Richards said. “Queens residents
should also be vigilant in reporting and
speaking out against such acts of hatred
and in showing support for our neighbors
when they are attacked. None of us should
ever be made to feel unsafe or unwelcome
in our own community.”
Anyone with information in regard to
the identity of the suspect is asked to call
the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-
577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-
PISTA (74782). Th e public can also submit
their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers
website at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on
Twitter @NYPDTips.
Photo via @NYPD109Pct/Twitter
/nypdcrimestoppers.com
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
