A Long Island man was arrested on Feb. 16 and charged with hate crimes nearly four months after he shouted antisemitic remarks before threatening to shoot a teenager in Bayside.
Detectives from the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force, investigating the “aggravated harassment” case, took 23-year-old Eli Irby, of Golden Avenue in Deer Park into custody, and brought him to the 109th Precinct in Flushing where he was booked on two counts of hate crime/menacing and two counts of aggravated harassment/religion, police said.
Irby was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Thursday evening. According to the criminal complaint, on the night of Thursday, Oct. 20, in the parking lot of the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, a 19-year-old man and his brother were approached by Irby in front of the AMC Movie Theater at 211-06 26th Ave. just before 9 p.m. Irby allegedly shouted anti-Jewish statements toward the victim, who was wearing a kippah, saying in sum and substance “You fat [expletive] Jew” and “Ginger fat Jew.” Irby then allegedly bumped into the victim’s chest saying “I have a knife. I have a gun, I will shoot you,” and made a motion that he was pulling something out of his pocket.
According to the criminal complaint, Irby’s actions caused the victim to fear imminent physical injury. Irby ran off in an unknown direction.
An NYPD spokesman was unable to provide any details on how and where Irby’s arrest was effectuated.
Irby was ordered to return to court on April 18.
