SPRING VALLEY — A dispute that started after an 11-year-old girl hit a van with a water balloon escalated into a fracas involving 50 men who confronted the youngster and her family, ending with two of the men being arrested.
The incident in the usually quiet Fletcher Road community brought out police and two village officials. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People later condemned the attack on the girl and her family, including her mother, Spring Valley Village Clerk Sherry Scott, who said she was injured.
The fracas started at 10:58 p.m. Wednesday when the girl's water balloon hit a van driving down Monsey Boulevard, leading the driver to call an Orthodox Jewish community assistance organization, called the Chaverim of Rockland, police said.
An estimated 40 to 50 members of the Chaverim patrol group descended on the area, police said.
Before police arrived, the van driver chased the girl, who was protected by her 17-year-old male relative, police said. The cousin's father and Scott came outside and there was pushing and men milling around the area, police said.
One of the men pushed Scott against a wall. She said she suffered a swollen knee and leg and the man would not let the teenager and Scott into their apartment.
"They started to push and hit my grandson, who was protecting my daughter," Scott said Friday. "The whole thing was totally unnecessary."
Scott said one man shoved her against the wall near the doorway to the apartment building and cursed at her when she demanded he let her and her family pass.
"It was a nightmare," Scott said. "This was uncalled for. The driver should have just told me my little girl threw a water balloon."
Spring Valley police arrested two men, Morris Jacobowitz, 32, of 2 Valley View Terrace, Spring Valley, and Solomon E. Simkowitz, 40, of 139 Route 306, Wesley Hills. Police charged Jacobowitz with second-degree reckless endangerment and Simkowitz with second-degree unlawful imprisonment and second-degree harassment involving Scott, Detective Sgt. James Noble said.
The incident is under investigation and more charges are possible, including charges of assaulting Scott, police said.
Police Chief Paul Modica said the van driver who called in the Chaverim left before police arrived, so police have no complaint from him or statement.
"I don't think there were any racial or religious epithets from either end," Modica said. "The water balloon incident got way out of hand. This was about a stupid water balloon."
Wilbur Aldridge of the NAACP called the incident "despicable."
"Their action makes no sense whatsoever unless there's some deep-seated resentment," he said.
Aldridge said the NAACP will monitor what happens next with the case.
Scott said Spring Valley Trustee Joseph Gross came to the scene and asked her not to pursue charges. Scott said Gross told her the Chaverim would handle the matter internally. She said Mayor Noramie Jasmin supported her decision.
Gross didn't return phone calls for comment on Friday.
"I am making a statement" by going to the police, Scott said. "Everybody needs to learn how to live together. Spring Valley belongs to all of us."
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**UPDATE** 4:00 PM
Charedi publicist Yossi Gesternter says the media has the story wrong,
Local media are reporting that an African America from Spring Valley NY may sue after her children were hit by Jews moments after – as she says – one of her children accidently threw a water balloon on a passing car. The stories suggest that the driver jumped out of the car, ran after an 11 year old and started hitting the kid. Soon, dozens of Jews joined in the attack.
This narrative is false. Here are the facts:
Wednesday June 15 at 10:45, a motorist took a turn off Monsey Blvd onto Fletcher in Spring Valley New York. The driver, a Jew, suddenly got physically hit by something that flew into his car through an open window. After swerving and then gaining controlling of his car, the driver pulled into a Parking Lot in the area and contacted Chaverim of Rockland; a volunteer service organization of the local Jewish Community. After arriving, the members noticed it was a water balloon that was thrown at the car. After speculating if it was a mistake or a dangerous game by some, Chaverim observed from a covert location that youngsters are indeed waiting alongside the road, inching for trouble. However, cars driven by non-Jews were not attacked until a Volunteer of Chaverim passed and his car was hit by water balloons and small stones too.
After observing this, the members contacted the Police Department and ran after the perpetrators to try identify them for PD. Not wanting to physically hold down a minor and be subject to chargers, a few Volunteers obstructed the entrance of a house in an effort to prevent the youngsters from disappearing inside. At the same time, many African Americans at the scene started pushing and shoving the Jews in an effort to permit the perpetrators – who obviously were not supervised by their parents – to enter inside, and thus make it difficult to hold them accountable. This caused a physical struggle between the sides. At the time the Police arrived, they charged one member of the Jewish community and ticked another one for this scuffle.
Based on media reports, the parent is working with the NAACP and considering suing. In the mean time, some locals – including myself who was raised in a single parent household – hope that instead of lawsuits, parents will spend time 1) keeping tabs on their youngsters at the night hours; 2) teaching them to not play dangerous games against motor vehicles, and 3) to give them an upbringing that does not cause them to racially distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish drivers/people.
www.yossigestetner.com
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הקהילה החרדית בעיירה מונסי זועמת: המשטרה עצרה שני אברכים המתנדבים בארגון 'השומרים' בעקבות תלונת שווא של ילדה לא יהודית בת 11.
הסיפור החל כאשר ילדה בת 11 זרקה ביום שישי בצהריים בלון מים לעבר מכונית חולפת. נהג המכונית נבהל, והזעיק את מתנדבי ארגון 'השומרים'.
הנהג יצא ממכוניתו והחל לרדוף אחרי הילדה. לאחר מרדף קצר, הוא תפס את הילדה, שמצידה התחילה לצרוח ולקרוא לעזרה. הילדה שהתגוררה בבית סמוך, הצליחה להקים את השכונה כולה, ודודתה ששמעה את צרחותיה נזעקה למקום.
מתנדבי 'השומרים' שהגיעו לזירה, נקלעו לעימות מילולי עם הדודה והסבא של הילדה. המשטרה הוזעקה למקום, ולאחר שגבתה עדויות ממספר שכנים החליטה לעצור את ר' משה מוריס יעקובוביץ’ בן ה-32 ואת ואת ר' שלמה סינקוביץ' בן ה-40 באשמת תקיפה.
עסקני הקהילה בספרינג וואלי שבמונסי עושים הכול להביא לשחרורם של העצורים
what is the number for the local Shomrim? can anybody call it and have 40-50 people come defend their cause, jews and non-jews alike?
ReplyDeleteWho was the first to call police? looking at most Shomrim on line mission statements, certainly they called the police, right?
Is there any way that the initial phone calls to and around the Shomrim system can be made public just like 911 calls are made public at times? I can only assume that some of the 40-50 people didn't know they were being called to bring the hammer down on an 11 year old balloon thrower and her family. Phone records would reveal if the aggressive members of the response team were mislead into thinking something more severe was going on. But why be aggressive in any case and not just call the po po?
11 year old girl out throwing water balloons at cars at 11 oclock at night. superb parenting. what if the driver swerved after being hit and killed someone? everyone knows if you drive near monsey you are taking your life in your hands with these people driving. she should be charged with a hate crime because she was targeting the jews! nobody would have needed to call 50 people to save them if she was where she belonged!
ReplyDeleteNAACP??? Racially motivated????? She should tell her daughter not to throw water balloons onto a main road!!!! How about suing her for negligence because her daughter could have caused an accident. Throw balloons in the back yard
ReplyDeleteThis story is so obvious, her kid started up and then when people defended themselves her lies began. Yes, when anything hits a moving car the driver can be shocked, swerve and have an accident. Let me see the local POLICE prosecute this child and give the mother what to worry about.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who she is suing?
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt in my mind that these kids were looking for trouble for Jews. They hate Jews and all you naysayers can lie to yourselves all you want. The water balloon thrower's mama will get beaucoup gelt out of this for sure. In this case I stand firmly on the side of the holy rollers.
ReplyDeleteThey have a Chaverim patrol ,but none of them serve in the U.S. armed forces .They had one cop that worked a couple of weeks went out on disability and collected a big settlement .
ReplyDeleteThis is what really happened:
ReplyDeleteWednesday June 15 at 10:45, a motorist took a turn off Monsey Blvd onto Fletcher in Spring Valley New York. The driver, a Jew, suddenly got physically hit by something that flew into his car through an open window. After swerving and then gaining controlling of his car, the driver pulled into a Parking Lot in the area and contacted Chaverim of Rockland; a volunteer service organization of the local Jewish Community. After arriving, the members noticed it was a water balloon that was thrown at the car. After speculating if it was a mistake or a dangerous game by some, Chaverim observed from a covert location that youngsters are indeed waiting alongside the road, inching for trouble. However, cars driven by non-Jews were not attacked until a Volunteer of Chaverim passed and his car was hit by water balloons and small stones too.
After observing this, the members contacted the Police Department and ran after the perpetrators to try identify them for PD. Not wanting to physically hold down a minor and be subject to chargers, a few Volunteers obstructed the entrance of a house in an effort to prevent the youngsters from disappearing inside. At the same time, many African Americans at the scene started pushing and shoving the Jews in an effort to permit the perpetrators – who obviously were not supervised by their parents – to enter inside, and thus make it difficult to hold them accountable. This caused a physical struggle between the sides. At the time the Police arrived, they charged one member of the Jewish community and ticked another one for this scuffle.
Don't bother ever calling the SV Police. I called them after a Fletcher resident (not black, but Polish) assualted me outside of her apartment while I was working for the Census. She grabbed Federal papers from my hands (a Federal offense) and pushed me into the wall. After arriving and flirting with her for a few minutes, Spring Valley's finest informed me that I was lucky that they were not going to arrest me. What do you expect from a police force whose chief's former wife is a convicted child rapist.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the shoe was on the other foot? What would be the response then? How can anyone write that the child did this purposely? Were any of you there when it happened?
ReplyDeleteHow about when non jews drive through some streets of Monsey and children throw stones, snowballs, and crap at their cars will the Chaverim come and assault or try to hold down those kids at fault....NO... the whole situation is crazy, why didn't the driver of the van just call the police to make a statement or file a report? The police should handle situations like this not an unauthorized wanna be police force. WHY DOES IT TAKE 40 TO 50 PEOPLE TO COME TO THE SCENE? If it was the other way around EVERYONE WOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED...SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST SO ONE SIDED AND THEY NEVER THINK BEFORE THEY SPEAK OR TYPE FOR THAT MATTER