(NewsNation) — A Brooklyn woman was arrested and now faces hate crime charges after she allegedly made anti-Islamic statements and threw coffee at a father and son at a park, the New York Police Department said.
A police spokesperson confirmed to NewsNation that 48-year-old Hadasa Bozakkaravani was arrested Tuesday. Multiple local media outlets reported that she surrendered to police.
NBC New York reports Asish Prashar, 40, was at the Edmonds Playground with his 18-month old son Nov. 7 when a woman came charging over to him, asking if he supported “Hamas” and calling him a terrorist.
During the incident, Prashar had been wearing a Keffiyeh, a traditional Arabic scarf, that he received as a gift a decade ago while working in the West Bank. It had been given to him by a Christian Palestinian, Prashar told NBC New York, though he is of Indian descent.
Bozakkaravani, Prashar said, threw her phone at him, and then hot coffee, towards him and his son.
“As I turned back, she threw hot coffee in my face, which if I didn’t put my son down would have burned my son’s face,” he said to NBC New York.
Bozakkaravani has now been charged with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child, among others, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Oren Yaniv, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn DA, said Bozakkaravani was arraigned Tuesday night and released without bail with no conditions.
She pleaded not guilty to charges against her. Bozakkaravani told NewsNation local affiliate PIX11 that the incident happened after she became enraged over a conversation over the Israel-Hamas war and that she “regrets” what she did.
Advocacy organizations have reported an increase in Islamaphobia since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel and killed more than 1,200 people. Israel declared war quickly after the attacks, taking siege of Gaza and relentlessly pounding the area with airstrikes. More than 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, according to the Health Ministry.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4, it received a total of 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias — a 216% increase over last year. On Oct. 15, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death by an Illinois man. Police say the boy was targeted because of his Muslim faith.
There has also been a rise in antisemitic incidents as well: In New York City alone, the police said there was a 214% increase in hate crimes against Jewish people in October 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.