Jewish Leadership Council In midtown Manhattan on Oct 9., a molotov cocktail aimed at Jewish students Yosef Rachimi and Yisroel Gadafi, both 20 years old, exploded when it hit a bicycle.
Police have released a video of the unhinged man who lobbed a flaming bottle of liquid at two yeshiva students who were encouraging people to commit good deeds in Midtown, officials said Tuesday.
“I want to kill you!” the balding, heavyset man — who was apparently drunk — screamed before he threw the makeshift explosive at Yosef Rachimi and Yisroel Gadafi, both 20, on W. 37th St. near Ninth Ave. about 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The two victims noticed a flash of heat across their legs when the bottle topped with a burning rag exploded near their feet, according to police.
The bottle started a small fire, but no one was injured, according to police.
“Some guy put alcohol in a bottle of Snapple. The bottle broke and he left,” said Barry Sugar, a spokesman for the Jewish Leadership Council, which tracks anti-Semitism.
Police are searching for man who threw a Molotov cocktail at yeshiva students on Oct. 9 in Midtown Manhattan.
The white assailant was around 5-foot-9, about 215 pounds and was wearing a black and blue t-shirt and a backpack.
The video police released shows the man holding a brown paper bag that held the bottle, officials said.
The yeshiva students were on the sidewalk encouraging people to do a Mitzvah, a good deed, Sugar said. Chabad Hasidim are known to hang out at the location before the Sabbath, he added.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to call CrimeStoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.