Police on Friday arrested a Brooklyn woman accused of committing hate crimes against three Jewish children, with police accusing the suspect of telling the young trio that “Hitler should have killed you all” before spitting on an eight-year-old.
Christina Darling, 21, is charged with aggravated harassment and menacing, both as hate crimes, and three counts of “acting in a manner injurious to a child” for the Jan. 14 incident on Avenue P near Coleman Street in Marine Park, adjacent to an Orthodox synagogue.
Darling had been identified as the likely culprit for several days in local Facebook groups, and even by commenters on the NYPD’s post seeking information as early as Tuesday.
On 1/14/22, at approx. 12:35 PM, in front of 4017 Avenue P, @NYPD63Pct, a female approached an 8-year-old male along with two other children, made anti-Jewish statements and then spat on the child and fled on foot.
Info? Please DM us or @NYPDTips or☎️1-800-577-TIPS (8477). pic.twitter.com/UvzTwIQpcW— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) January 18, 2022
Video of the incident showed a woman in an orange sweatshirt, identified as Darling, approaching three Jewish children at the corner and accosting them. She can then be seen spitting on an eight-year-old boy before fleeing.
Cops say that when Darling accosted the youths, she said to them “Hitler should have killed you all. I’ll kill you and know where you live.”
Darling is a student at St. Francis College, reportedly majoring in education, English, and psychology with hopes of being a guidance counselor, according to a petition on change.org calling for her expulsion. The petition has been signed by over 3,000 people, a massive number for the Catholic college on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights, which has only 2,735 enrolled students according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“As a local Jewish resident, I am absolutely outraged that this unprovoked incident took place in our community,” said the person who started the petition, identified only as G M. “She is not only an imminent danger to the Jewish community, but all minorities in New York City.”
The college said Friday that it is investigating the incident and considering “the appropriate actions aligned with our internal processes and procedures.”
“For our community, this behavior, as witnessed, is beyond inappropriate and we stand with all of you as we denounce this horrifying act of racism, bigotry, and harassment against the Jewish people,” said college administrators, including President Miguel Martinez-Saenz, in a letter to students.
The city has seen a large number of hate crimes in recent years, particularly against Jews and Asians. The NYPD recorded 198 incidents of antisemitic hate crimes in 2021, the most of any type of bias and up 63 percent from 2020, according to its Hate Crimes Dashboard.
“Hate has no place in New York City, and it is particularly appalling to me that this hateful and deplorable attack occurred with the 46th Council District, one of the most diverse districts in the city,” said Mercedes Narcisse, the area’s new City Councilmember, in a statement. “I am pleased that the perpetrator of this crime has been apprehended and I hope her arrest serves as a clear message that all forms of bigotry, hate crimes and bias-related incidents will not be tolerated.”
