9-year-old In Hasidic Attire Beaten In Possible Hate Crime, Cops

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN -- The Hate Crime Task Force has been called in after a 9-year-old boy dressed in Hasidic clothing was assaulted over the weekend, police said.

The 9-year-old victim was walking home around 6 p.m. on Sunday when an unknown man came up to him on the corner of Throop Avenue and Walton Street, police said. The man, who was captured in surveillance photos and video, punched the boy several times in the face before fleeing the scene.

The victim's face was swelling and in pain, police said, but he refused medical attention at the scene.

The unidentified man was last seen wearing a grey hoodie with a black patch on the sleeve, dark colored jeans and white sneakers. He was described as a black male, approximately 5'6"and 150 pounds and thought to be between 14 and 18 years old, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.

The Crime Stoppers Hotline have announced that there is a $2,500 reward for information about the attack, according to a post on Twitter.