Man arrested for attempted kidnapping of Jewish boy was family's neighbour

Stephan Stowe was previously arrested in 2013 for aggravated harassment as a hate crime, after harassing a Jewish man on the subway.

By MATHILDA HELLER NOVEMBER 12, 2024 17:35

Screenshot of CCTV footage posted by Shomrim CH showing attempted kidnapping, 9/11/2024 (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X, SHOMRIM)

A man arrested for attempting to kidnap a Jewish child in Crown Heights on Saturday reportedly had previously been arrested for an antisemitic hate crime, and was also the family's neighbor.

Stephan Stowe, 28, was arrested on Saturday on charges of attempted kidnapping in the 2nd degree, and endangering the welfare of a child, after he attempted to grab the Orthodox Jewish boy from his father.

According to the inmate records of New York City accessed by the Jerusalem Post, Stowe, who has been arrested over 30 times, is being held without bail.

While Stowe's early arrest records are sealed, in 2013, a Stephan Stowe aged 17 was arrested for aggravated harassment as a hate crime of a Jewish man wearing a kippah on a subway.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., this deeply concerning incident took place in the heart of Crown Heights. We are working hand in hand with the @NYPD71pct in identifying the perpetrator. Kudos to the father for his quick action. pic.twitter.com/ozZLKntYvo

— CH Shomrim (@ShomrimCH) November 10, 2024

The age, name, visual description (African-American, 6ft 2) and location match the man involved in Saturday's incident.

According to the NY Daily News at the time, Stowe and a group of friends approached the Jewish man and said “Assalamu Alaikum.” 

When the Jewish man did not respond, Stowe said “I am going to kill you right now, they should have killed all of you.” 

Criminal history

The Post accessed Stowe's available criminal record. Between 2019 and 2023, Stowe faced multiple charges, including criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a loaded firearm, forgery, possession of controlled substance with intent, harassment involving physical contact, menacing, menacing with a weapon.

Menacing involves a person intentionally placing another person in fear of death, imminent serious physical injury or physical injury.

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According to the New York Post, he is a member of the G-Stone Crips gang (GS 9), and was also arrested in August 2023 for strangling his girlfriend. 

Stowe was also known to the family, as he lives next door, the boy's mother told ABC. 

"He'd always hold the door, he always was nice," the mother added.

The mother added that none of the suspect's behavior had ever seemed suspicious.