A man is facing hate crime charges after police say he attacked a 49-year-old Orthodox Jewish man in Brooklyn.
Investigators say the victim was on his phone when 36-year-old Christian Rojas punched him in the face, knocking the phone out of his hand.
The incident took place a little before 6 a.m. Wednesday near the corner of Albany and Lefferts Avenues in Crown Heights.
Rojas is being charged with assault and aggravated harrassment, both of which have been declared felony hate crimes.
Police say Rojas told the victim, "I'm fed up with the Jews, and I'm sending a message and I'm tired of these *expletive* Jews on this block."
The attack occurred less than 24 hours after a Hatzolah EMS volunteer was slashed in the same neighborhood. Police say they have not found a link between the two attacks.