A Brooklyn DJ who was giving his friends a ride home after a gig testified Wednesday that he rescued a gay African-American man who was getting attacked by a group of Hasidic Jewish men.
“I made a wrong turn and saw a group of men on the sidewalk on my left beating the crap out of young man,” said Jose Guzman, the last prosecution witness in Mayer Herskovic’s gang assault trial.
One of Guzman’s friends thought the group of almost 20 Hasidic Jewish men were jumping up and down on the sidewalk in celebration for Hanukkah during the Dec. 1, 2013 assault on Flushing Ave.in Williamsburg.
“It was completely mayhem,” Guzman said.
He approached the group and was stopped by a participant, later identified at Aaron Hollender, who told him the victim Taj Patterson allegedly hit them first.
Hollender’s case was dismissed in March 2015.
“There was a minimum of 15 Hasidic men holding, kicking, punching and pulling the young man towards the street.
They waved others into the group like ‘tag, you’re it.’ Then I ran into the crowd,” said Guzman.
Patterson, 25, grabbed Guzman’s leg and said “help me” after one of the assailants threw his sneaker and another item on to the roof of 475 Flushing Ave.
Herskovic’s DNA was found on the sneaker.
If convicted, Herskovic faces up to 25 years in prison.
