Videos show masked men vandalizing 2 NYC businesses. Why the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating

NEW YORK — Exclusive surveillance video obtained by CBS New York shows a masked man breaking into an Upper East Side barbershop, and police say another act of vandalism happened at a nearby restaurant around the same time.

Both businesses are owned by Jewish men. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is now investigating.

Video shows vandal Upper East Side restaurant, barbershop vandalized

Surveillance video shows a masked vandal armed with some kind of tool come up and smash a glass panel at Rothschild TLV restaurant on Lexington Avenue by 78th Street early Wednesday morning, then walk away.

Around the same time and just down the block, exclusive surveillance video shows a masked man break the glass door and crawl through the blinds of Level 78 Barbershop before rummaging through the drawers for several minutes.

In both videos, the perpetrator is masked with a baseball cap and a backpack with two stripes on it.

Business owner believes they were targeted

The glass at Rothschild was smashed right next to the mezuzah that’s mounted on the restaurant’s front entrance. Rothschild TLV’s owner Mike Kalbo, who is Jewish, believes this was a targeted act of vandalism.

“They knew where they were going,” Kalbo said.

Barbershop owner Rami Yagudayez, who is also Jewish and also keeps a mezuzah on his doorframe, says the man only took a phone, even though there was cash in the drawers that he opened.

“And he touch and he didn’t take the money. All three station, there was money there and he didn’t take it, very big miracle,” he said.

Yagodayez says this is the first time something like this has happened on their street.

The latest NYPD data shows antisemitic hate crimes doubled for the month of April from 16 incidents last year to 32 incidents this year, making up half of all reported hate crimes for the month citywide.

“In the Jewish community, we are strong, we support each other and we are New Yorkers. We are tough,” Kalbo said.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating both cases and have not made any arrests.

Ali Bauman

Ali Bauman joined CBS2 News as a general assignment reporter in 2016. Ali is a proud millennial who embraces social media for storytelling to bring news to a new generation of viewers.