This past Saturday night wasn't all gin and tonics and midnight screenings of Gone Girl in Crown Heights. Instead, a swarm of teenagers turned the neighborhood upside down, vandalizing school buses and an array of parked cars before trashing a Troy Avenue corner store. The large group stormed the entrance of Gourmet Butcher, screaming, knocking down shelves, kicking over boxes, and throwing products off the counter. The shop's owner, Yanki Klein, also reported that his 23-year-old brother was punched in the head.
"I was in total shock, I did not even know how to react," Klein told neighborhood blog CrownHeights.info. "When I realized what happened, I right away called 911."
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"[Very often] these kinds of kids come by my store and yell 'Heil Hitler,' or steal things that are on shelves near the door," Klein continued, saying this type of frightening behavior is an ongoing problem. "I've asked the police to put an officer on my corner many times, but I feel like I am being ignored and these ‘minor’ problems keep happening. And now this — it is a miracle that they did not manage to get all the way into the store, otherwise I would have been dealing with much more damage or worse, heaven forbid."
Police are currently investigating the incident as a hate crime, and Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams is holding a press conference today to address "recent attacks against members and institutions of the Jewish community." See the shocking video below.