A suspect in New York City who skipped a court hearing after being charged for attacking a rabbi is arrested and arraigned.
The suspect, Eric Zafra Grosso, allegedly attacked a rabbi in Queens on January 27, which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Grosso, 32, allegedly approached the rabbi, shouted “Fuck Jews,” and punched the rabbi in the face and chest, knocking him to the ground, the Queens district attorney’s office said at the time.
Grosso was charged with a hate crime and other charges, with a potential sentence of up to four years in prison.
He was scheduled to be arraigned in court on March 18 but failed to appear for the mandated hearing.
The Queens district attorney’s office secured a warrant for his arrest and Grosso was detained in Manhattan on Friday, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz says.
Grosso was held over the weekend and appeared in court for the arraignment yesterday, Katz says.
Grosso pleaded not guilty and remains in detention. His next hearing is May 7, court filings show.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
