Victim of Hasidic Gang Beating: ‘They Just Kept Punching Me’
Taj Patterson. Image by Handout
By Josh Nathan-Kazis September 1, 2016
In a Brooklyn courtroom yesterday, Taj Patterson recounted the horrific beating he says he received in December 2013 at the hands of a gang of 15 to 20 Orthodox Jewish men.
“They threw me to the ground, dragged me on my knees, told me to ‘stay on the ground you f—king f——t,’” Patterson said, according to an account of the testimony in the New York Daily News.
Patterson spoke on the third day of the bench trial of Mayer Herskovic, a 24-year-old Hasidic man who faces felony charges in connection with the beating.
The attack left Patterson blind in one eye. A former fashion student, he has had difficulty reading and looking at computer screens since the attack, and has dropped out of school.
In court, Patterson described being chased by men dressed in traditional Orthodox garb, and then pinned against a gate by the group. “There were so many of them, I stopped running, and I gave up,” Patterson said, according to the New York Post. “Once the thumb was in my eye, I started screaming, and they just kept punching me. I was tripped, they were kicking me, then dragging me on my knees.”
Yet when prodded by Herscovic’s defense attorney, Patterson was unable to positively identify Herscovic as the ringleader of the attack. ““They all look the same to me,” he said, according to dnainfo.
Prosecutors earlier told the court that DNA on a sneaker taken from Patterson during the attack matches Herscovic.
On Tuesday, an NYPD detective told the court that residents of the heavily Orthodox neighborhood of Williamsburg initially refused to cooperate with police investigating Patterson’s beating. Residents only handed over surveillance tapes after a Jewish officer posed as a robbery victim.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
