Manhattan D.A. Bragg has announced the indictment of Myles Utz, 31, for assaulting two Jewish men and hurling anti-Semitic comments at them earlier this year on the Upper West Side.
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Utz attacked his victims, 25 and 74, just minutes apart on June 16 at about 4 p.m. at 86th and Amsterdam Avenue. He’s facing charges of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree.
According to court documents and statements made on the record, Utz initially approached a 25-year-old man wearing a yarmulke and threw two glass bottles at him while yelling “Free Palestine” along with several antisemitic slurs. The man moved out of the way to avoid being hit and the bottles shattered on the ground.
A crowd began to form and Utz approached a 74-year-old, also wearing a yarmulke. He again yelled “Free Palestine” and spat at the man. This attack was caught on video and shared on X/Twitter by @StopAntisemites at the time. The footage shows Utz spitting at the older man, backing away, and then spitting at him again. Several individuals can be heard coming to the 74-year-old’s defense. According to the post, the confrontation began with Utz ripping down posters of Israeli hostages.
NYC (W. 72nd)- a man caught tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis charges at an elderly Jewish man and then spits on him!
He yells “Free Palestine” before finally leaving. pic.twitter.com/XSVwtBjGM5
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) June 17, 2024
Utz was arrested on July 25. According to public court records, he pled not guilty and was “Released With Non-Monetary Conditions” at his September 30 arraignment.
How nice for the assailant that he was released so he can resume appropriate activities.
I blame his color blindness.
Perhaps his oversized mammary glands pushed him over the edge.