New York, NY, December 22, 2014 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the arrest of a third suspect for his involvement in a series of violent assaults that took place at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack on November 28.

According to reports, Florend Gjevukaj, 18, of Yonkers, NY, along with Chris Bujaj, 17, of Tuckahoe, NY and Ardijan Mehaj, 17, of Yonkers, NY, who were previously arrested on December 15, were charged with a felony count of third-degree assault as a hate crime. During the attacks, the assailants reportedly referred to Orthodox Jewish individuals as “dirty Jews.”

“By the epithets that were allegedly spewed while attacking identifiably Jewish individuals, the assailants were clearly motivated by anti-Semitic animus,” said Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director. “These types of horrific assaults can leave a community on edge, and it is imperative that West Nyack community leaders – as well as public figures across Rockland County – make clear that brazen attacks of this nature are completely unacceptable.”

Mr. Bernstein added, “We commend the Clarkstown Police Department for their serious and swift investigation into this deplorable hate-filled crime and for the arrest of the three suspects who callously carried out these acts of hate.”

According to ADL’s annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, New York State experienced 203 incidents, including 22 cases of assault in 2013.