NYPD: Alleged Antisemitic Attacker Was Arrested While Out on Bail

A suspect in a 2021 antisemitic attack whose “sweetheart” plea deal made waves last week — Waseem Awawdeh — was arrested in November for criminal mischief while out on bail after his alleged attack on Joseph Borgen.Mr. Awawdeh allegedly got into a car accident and punched the rear windshield of the other car involved, causing it to shatter — according to a New York Police Department press officer, Lieutenant John Grimpel. Mr. Awawdeh was driving on a suspended license when arrested.Mr. Awawdeh has become the subject of controversy over the past week since the Sun first reported the news of a plea deal between him and the Manhattan district attorney over his alleged role in the 2021 antisemitic assault of a Jewish man.The deal would give Mr. Awawdeh a six-month jail stay in exchange for a guilty plea in the attack of a yarmulke-wearing 29-year-old. The victim of the assault, Joseph Borgen, was on his way to a pro-Israel rally, when a group of Arab-Americans descended upon him. The attackers pepper sprayed and attacked Mr. Borgen, calling him a “dirty Jew.”“I was surrounded by a whole crowd of people who proceeded to physically attack me, beat me, kick me, punch me, hit me with crutches, hit me with flag poles,” Mr. Borgen told the Daily Mail after the attack.At his arraignment in 2021, prosecutors said Mr. Awadeh showed no remorse for his actions.“If I could do it again, I would do it again,” he told his jailers, a prosecutor in Manhattan Criminal Court reported. “I have no problem doing it again.”When he made bail, Mr. Awawdeh was celebrated as a “hero” in footage that circulated among his friends on social media.More than a year after he made bail in May 2021, Mr. Awawdeh was arrested for smashing the window of the car in Brooklyn. He currently faces a misdemeanor for intent to damage property.This is not the first time Mr. Awawdeh has had automotive issues. He faced a slew of tickets and charges in 2020-2021 for near accidents, failure to signal, and driving without a license, the New York Daily News reported in 2021.“This guy is a violent individual,” a former assemblyman and activist, Dov Hikind, said of Mr. Awawdeh. “He has this case with Joey Borgen, then he gets into this confrontation. This guy is clearly a dangerous person.”“This is not a person who should be going away for a couple of months,” Mr. Hikind told the Sun. “This is someone who should be going away for a couple of years.”Mr. Awawdeh’s lawyer, Peter Frankel, says his client is “worthy” of the plea deal offered by the DA’s office. Mr. Frankel believes the charges in the car collision, which he referred to as a “dispute,” will be dropped. The attorney also said the reports of Mr. Awawdeh’s claim he would “do it again” have been taken out of context.Neither the Manhattan nor the Brooklyn DA’s office responded to requests for comment before publication.

NYPD: Alleged Antisemitic Attacker Was Arrested While Out on Bail

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