(JEWISH GROUP) Jackson Heights teen arraigned on hate crime charges after he threatened to kill Jewish students at Renai

Jackson Heights teen arraigned on hate crime charges after he threatened to kill Jewish students at Renaissance Charter School: DA

A 17-year-old student at the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights was arrested Feb. 2 for allegedly making antisemitic threats to hundreds of his classmates, according to authorities. The school’s principal alerted the NYPD as soon as he became aware of the threat.

Police from the 115th Precinct responded to a 911 call just after 12:30 p.m. reporting a possible bias incident inside the school at 35-59 81st St. Upon their arrival, officers were informed by school administrators of an individual that disseminated antisemitic emails to more than 300 students at the school.

The 17-year-old, of Jackson Heights, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court late Tuesday evening on a criminal complaint charging him with making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, making a terrorist threat, and three counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree.

“At a time when more than half of all hate crimes citywide are anti-Jewish, we are seeing a dangerous normalization of antisemitism,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Our schools must remain places of safety and learning in the face of this alarming trend.”

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