Vehicular ramming that alarmed New York Jews was an accident — NYPD

NEW YORK — A vehicular ramming incident that sparked alarm among Jews in New York City was an accident, the NYPD said on Thursday.

Security footage circulating online and in messaging groups showed a black minivan plowing into a group of women pushing strollers who appeared to be Jewish, sparking claims the incident was a deliberate attack.

A top NYPD official and a police spokesperson dismissed those claims however.

NYPD Deputy Chief Richie Taylor, the NYPD’s highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish officer, told The Times of Israel the collision was the result of “extreme inattention” on the part of the driver, who stayed at the scene and apologized after the incident.

“We don’t see anything about criminality,” Taylor said.

An NYPD spokesperson described Tuesday’s incident as a “motor vehicle collision.”

Brooklyn: Nostrand Avenue & Kings Highway. A 69-year-old man driving a black Toyota Sienna struck 2 women, 1 girl, and a 1-year-old with his vehicle in the confines of the @NYPD61Pct. EMS transported the pedestrians to Maimonides Hospital (@MaimoHealth) in stable condition. The… pic.twitter.com/LMFhzQsQpf

— NYC Scoop (@NY_Scoop) January 2, 2025

A 69-year-old man driving a 2014 Toyota made a right turn onto Nostrand Ave. at the Kings Highway intersection, striking three pedestrians, the NYPD told The Times of Israel. The intersection is next to the Kingsway Jewish Center and in an area with a large Jewish population.

The accident resulted in injuries to two women, aged 62 and 56, and a 1-year-old boy, the NYPD said. Emergency responders took the injured to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition.

The New York Jewish community is on edge due to a surge in antisemitism that began with the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, and after a deadly, ISIS-inspired car-ramming attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve.

In May, a man was arrested on hate crimes charges after attempting to ram Orthodox Jews with his car in Brooklyn.