Woman charged with hate crime after attacks on Muslim women

FILE – A police car drives through the Brooklyn borough of New York, Dec. 16, 2022. Photo: Julia Nikhinson/AP

BAY RIDGE— A STRING OF ATTACKS AGAINST MUSLIM WOMEN just a few blocks apart has received condemnation from elected officials.

News12 Brooklyn reported on Wednesday that a Staten Island woman identified as 34-year-old Megan Horne was arrested for a string of what the NYPD is calling hate crimes, in three separate incidents on Friday, Jan. 30. Horne allegedly accosted two women and a girl, all wearing hijabs, within a 20-minute span, pushing and kicking one on the street, another as she boarded a bus, and striking a 12-year-old in the face, all in the vicinity of 89th to 92nd streets near Fort Hamilton Parkway. Horne also allegedly yelled at her victims to “go back to [their] country.” Horne has been charged with hate crime assault, hate crime aggravated harassment, acting in a manner injurious to a child and assault.

City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, D-47, denounced the attacks, saying that she unfortunately is not shocked given the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric. But she also praised the 68th Precinct for its quick response, stating “My office recognizes and takes Islamophobia seriously.”

Santosuosso added that she will coordinate closely with the 68th Precinct and other community organizations to keep the Muslim community safe before and during Ramadan, which begins around Feb. 18 (the sighting of the new moon).

✰✰✰