A person was arrested after an attack on a group of Jewish students on the University of Pittsburgh campus, the school said in a statement. Two of the students were treated at the scene for injuries after the man, who was not identified, attacked them using a bottle near Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning, according to a statement released Friday.
The alleged perpetrator, who has no known Pitt affiliation, was immediately arrested by Pitt Police and is in custody,” the statement said. There was no information about what charges the suspect might face.
There was no ongoing threat to the public and counseling was made available.
“To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated,” the statement said. “Local and federal partners are supporting Pitt Police in this ongoing investigation.”
Rise in Antisemitism
Antisemitism has been on the rise in the US since the Hamas October 7 attacks, which saw terrorists invade Israel and kill some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnap 251. Hostility toward Jews has been particularly prevalent on campuses, where anti-Israel protest encampments often harassed Jewish students who support Israel. In 2018, a gunman killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, marking the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in US history.
Incident on Campus
University of Pittsburgh police arrested a person suspected of attacking a group of Jewish students with a bottle Friday night, the school announced on its website. The incident occurred near the Cathedral of Learning on campus. Two students were treated at the scene. The suspect, who has no known affiliation with the school, was immediately arrested and was in custody, the university said.
“Upon learning about this incident, Pitt leadership contacted Hillel University Center to offer support to our students and also connected with our partners at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh,” the university said. “We are grateful to our Pitt Police officers for their swift action, and our Student Affairs team for their ongoing student support.”
There was no ongoing threat to the public, the school said. It said, “To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated. Local and federal partners are supporting Pitt Police in this ongoing investigation.” The fall semester began Monday. “The safety of our Jewish students remains a priority, and we will continue to be a home away from home for them, providing them with care, support and community,” Hillel University Center said in a statement.
Separated Incidents
University police said the incident was not connected to an earlier shooting at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, across the street from the Cathedral of Learning. Pittsburgh Public Safety shared on X a man had been shot in the leg around 5:30 p.m. and was in stable condition.
CNN has reached out to university police requesting additional information about the incident but has not received a response. On October 27, 2018, a man burst into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and shot people with an AR-15-style rifle. Eleven people were killed and six others, including four responding police officers, were wounded. It was the deadliest ever attack on Jews in the United States.
Charges Filed
PITTSBURGH -- A man was charged with felony aggravated assault after an alleged glass bottle attack on two Jewish students on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, a city newspaper reported Saturday. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 52-year-old suspect was also charged with simple assault, reckless endangering, resisting arrest and harassment. The Post-Gazette, citing a criminal complaint, said the man was seen on surveillance video sitting at a table across the street from the students as they walked near Pitt's Cathedral of Learning on Friday evening. Police say he ran across the street and hit them from behind with the bottle.
The students, who were wearing traditional Jewish yarmulke head coverings, were treated at the scene, the university said. One had cuts on his face, and the other had cuts on his neck, the Post-Gazette said, citing the criminal complaint. The suspect, who has no known affiliation with the school, was wearing a kaffiyeh, a traditional checkered scarf worn in the Middle East and increasingly displayed as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people. University leaders were in contact with the Hillel University Center as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Agents from the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office were also sent to the scene to investigate the possibility of a hate crime, the newspaper said. The university called it an “appalling incident” but said there was no ongoing threat to the public. Counseling was being made available.
University Response
“To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated,” the university said in a statement. Court documents did not list an attorney for the suspect, and a listed number for him couldn't be found Saturday. The incident came at the end of the first full week of fall semester classes and a few months after spring protests on the campus over the war in Gaza, one of which took place in front of the Cathedral of Learning.
Continuing Investigation
One person was arrested Friday evening after a group of Jewish students on the University of Pittsburgh campus was attacked by an individual “yielding a bottle,” the university said in a statement. The suspect had no known affiliation to the school, according to the statement, and was “immediately arrested.” Two students were treated on scene, and the university said officials contacted the Hillel University Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to offer support to students.
“While there is not believed to be any ongoing threat to the public stemming from this incident, we recognize that incidents like these are unsettling to our Pitt community,” the university said in its statement. “To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated.” The incident occurred near the Cathedral of Learning, a central building on the university’s main campus. The University of Pittsburgh Police Department said it did not believe the incident was connected to an earlier violent incident reported at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh — which is located across the street from the Cathedral of Learning. Pittsburgh Public Safety said a man was shot in the leg near the complex around 5:30 p.m. and was transported in stable condition. The University of Pittsburgh’s fall semester commenced this past Monday. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and the university confirmed that “local and federal partners” are supporting efforts.
What Lies Ahead
This incident underscores the importance of vigilance against hate and discrimination. The University of Pittsburgh's swift action in apprehending the suspect and its commitment to supporting its Jewish students are commendable. The ongoing investigation should provide further clarity into the motivations behind the attack and serve as a reminder of the need for continued dialogue and action to address the rising tide of antisemitism.
