A pair of local Orthodox Jews were chased and attacked in The Parke at Mount Washington neighborhood while on their way to prayer services around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 26, near Kehillas Meor HaTorah Synagogue.
According to the Jerusalem Post and and other media outlets, three or four cars reportedly pulled alongside one of the victims, and armed muggers emerged to chase him.
A victim identified by the Shomrim watch organization as Eli S. Neuberger warned his companion, identified by Yeshiva World News as Dovi Ziskind.
“I yelled that they have guns and that he should get back in his car,” Neuberger told the Orthodox website Hamodia.
Ziskind told Hamodia, “I heard Eli yelling, so I ran back toward my car. I got in the car, and I was also trying to see if I could get the plates of their car. But before I knew what was happening, one guy came up to my door and another one opened the passenger door.”
The assailants reportedly forced Ziskind out of his car and pushed him to the ground, stealing his wallet, which contained “a large amount of cash,” according to Ziskind.
The suspects, wearing ski masks, first stole a vehicle on the 6500 block of Clarington Road before driving to Pebble Brooke Road, where they spotted the two men walking to shul, according to Yeshiva World News.
Baltimore Jewish Life reported that the muggers attempted to take Neuberger’s phone and hit him on the head. Neuberger reportedly called the police from a phone at a neighbor’s residence.
Neither Neuberger or Ziskind suffered any major injuries during the incident, which was videotaped from multiple angles. The suspects fled the scene.
In a statement, Baltimore County Police said the robbery does not appear to be “motivated by any factors other than a crime of opportunity.”
According to the Jerusalem Post, Neuberger later joked of the robbery, “After such a harrowing incident this morning, I’m upset the perps didn’t even have the courtesy to offer me a ‘Free Palestine.'”
Baltimore County Police and Shomrim are searching for a black Kia Optima with the license plate 4BA3705. Baltimore City Police are assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information about the case should call the Pikesville Precinct of the Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020. Callers may remain anonymous.
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