ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ann Arbor police are searching for the suspects accused of assaulting someone due to their religious background.
The assault happened near the intersection of Hill Street and S Forest Avenue—just blocks away from the University of Michigan campus—at 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 15.
The 19-year-old victim reported a group of unknown males approached him while he was walking and asked if he was Jewish. When the victim answered, the suspects then allegedly assaulted him and ran away. The victim reported the assault just after 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Police said the victim had minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.
“I have communicated with the University of Michigan police staff, and our goal is to discuss safety over the next few weeks. There is absolutely no place for hate and ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor’s office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible.”
Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre Anderson
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Ann Arbor Police Department tip line at (734) 794-6939.
The Anti-Defamation League is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
University of Michigan President Santa Ono said he hopes police will get that call soon.
“The safety of our campus community is our highest priority. We are working closely with the Ann Arbor police department as they investigate the assault which occurred this morning. We urge anyone with knowledge about the incident to share it with DPSS or the Ann Arbor police department. In turn, we will ask that perpetrators be held accountable for their actions. We stand firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior. We are committed to creating a community where every student, faculty member, staff member or visitor can thrive without the fear of threats, intimidation or violence.”
University of Michigan President Santa Ono via X