Man sentenced to prison for antisemitic attack in Central Park in 2022

A man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for an antisemitic attack in Central Park in 2022.

Perin Jacobchuk, 34, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for assaulting a 64-year-old Jewish man after making antisemitic comments, including “kill the Jews,” and “Kanye 2024.”

The “Kanye” slogan was a reference to the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who made a series of antisemitic remarks in 2022.

Jacobchuk was also sentenced to one-and-one-third to four years for assaulting an Asian woman in a separate case, Manhattan District Attorney Alving Bragg said in a statement.

“These hate crimes left both New Yorkers with physical injuries, which they have thankfully fully recovered from,” Bragg said. “I hope that the resolution of this case can offer the victims comfort in knowing that Jacobchuk has been held accountable.”    

Jacobchuk, who is from Washington state, pleaded guilty in September to assault in the third degree as a hate crime and assault in the second degree as a hate crime, both felonies.

In the antisemitic attack, in December 2022, a Jewish man walking in Central Park saw Jacobchuk doing a Nazi salute and making the remarks about Kanye West, who is now known as Ye. 

The Jewish man verbally confronted Jacobchuk as he made other antisemitic comments including “Kill the Jews” and “Gas the k—s.” The Jewish man then attempted to walk away but Jacobchuk followed him on a bicycle and punched him in the back of the head. The Jewish man was knocked to the ground and suffered a concussion, a broken right hand, a broken kneecap and tooth damage. Recovering from the injuries took months, Bragg’s office said.

The crime happened before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel, but the sentencing comes as a surge in antisemitic hate crimes continues following Oct. 7.

Jews were regularly targeted in hate crimes more than any other group before the Hamas attack, and prosecution of the crimes often takes years. Proving bias in an attack is difficult, and lengthy prison sentences are rare.