A couple is facing hate crime charges after they were caught on camera verbally attacking and throwing beers at an immigrant family on a New York City rail road train.
Liz Edelkind was traveling on the Long Island Rail Road with her husband, 10-year-old son and two others when the couple — later identified as Justin Likerman, of Ronkonoma, and Kristin Digesaro, of Huntington — harassed them.
Video shows Likerman throwing a beer at the family and screaming: 'Look straight! Don't f***ing look at me! I'm going to get arrested tonight!'
'I know it's not worth it, but these f***ing foreigners ain't taking over my f***ing country!'
Edelkind — who immigrated from the Dominican Republic, according to Remolacha — believes she was targeted because of her accent and skin color.
'The couple started to verbally attack me, calling me curse words, immigrant, that I don't pay taxes, that I have no rights in this country,' she told NBC New York.
'How dare they assume because I look or sound different that I am not a US citizen.'
Justin Likerman (right) and Kristin Digesaro (left) are facing charges of aggravated harassment as a hate crime and child endangerment after they allegedly verbally attacked and threw beers at an immigrant family on the Long Island Rail Road Monday night
Liz Edelkind (left), her husband (right), 10-year-old son (center) and two others were heading home from a New York Knicks game when the attack occurred. The group wanted to sit together on the train and asked fellow passengers if they'd be willing to accommodate them
Edelkind and her family were headed home from a New York Knicks game, which had been a Christmas present for her son, on Monday night.
The group of five wanted to sit together on the eastbound train and had asked fellow passengers if they'd be willing to accommodate them, apparently setting off Likerman and Digesaro.
'They threw beer at us. My pastor and her husband, and my husband, got in the way to protect me,' Edelkind recalled — a testimony echoed by video footage of the incident that has been shared more than 10,000 times.
'You have no rights here,' Digesaro yelled as her boyfriend began his abusive rant.
'Don't look at me, I'm going to get arrested tonight. Don't f***ing look at me,' Likerman screamed, repeating the phrase several times.
Another passenger tried to interject, explaining the argument is not worth getting arrested
