A New York man is facing charges after he assaulted and used racial slurs toward a Black firefighter during a parking dispute.
The incident occurred on Sunday, July 18, at Engine Company 211-Ladder Company 119 in Brooklyn, New York, according to New York Daily News. The scene became volatile after Jacob Deutsch, who is Hasidic Jew, allegedly parked his car in a space reserved for New York Fire Department firefighters.
After a fireman told Deutsch he could be issued a summons, the 55-year-old reportedly shouted, “Hey a——e, don’t write a ticket!” Court papers obtained by the Daily News state Deutsch moved his car but, instead of leaving, he moved the vehicle in front of the firehouse’s bay doors before he continued his tirade.
“If you want to go to war we can go to war!” Deutsch yelled, according to the documents. “I can have 300 Hasidic men on the block in an hour!”
He also slapped a fireman’s arm before he got back into his car. As he drove away, Deutsch was reported to have swung a car door open to strike the firefighter in the leg. He also used the n-word during the altercation, according to the court filing.
Deutsch abandoned his car shortly after his departure and fled into a community center. He was not taken into custody until Thursday, when he turned himself in to authorities after his license plate was used to identify him. He was hit with several charges, including assault, obstructing government administration, menacing and leaving the scene of an accident. Deutsch was assigned a $35,000 bond.
Deutsch’s wife told The New York Daily News the firefighters were to blame for the incident.
“Those [firefighters] are acting very, very immature,” the wife, who was not identified, told the outlet. “They grew up to be what they wanted but they did not grow up in maturity. They do whatever they like. They have the upper hand, but they are human just like us.”
