A Jewish man speaking Hebrew on his phone while riding his bicycle in Broward County, Florida was sucker punched by a passerby who also hurled antisemitic abuse at him.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) said it was still looking for the suspect, Local 10 reported.
The incident occurred in Dania Beach on February 7 at approximately 5:30 p.m., the department added.
BSO said in a statement that the vicious punch “caused the victim to fall off the bike and to the ground.”
“The attacker then approached the victim, who stood up. A few seconds later, the subject walked away,” they said.
Law enforcement identified the attacker in a separate incident caught on video in which he was in a verbal altercation with workers near the scene of the assault.He was also captured on cell phone video accosting people who ran over to help the victim after he was knocked off his bicycle.
Rabbi Joe Soshtain of the Young Israel of Hollywood Synagogue called the incident “appalling.”
“That you can’t walk on your own streets and ride in your own streets, it’s a terrible, terrible feeling and things have to change,” he told the news outlet.
The victim was taken to hospital but has been released and is expected to recover.