A couple in New York went viral after verbally assaulting a family on a train with the police saying that the incident was a hate crime.
Justin Likerman, of Ronkonkoma, and Kristin Digesaro, of Huntington, Long Island turned themselves in on Wednesday. They have been charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.
New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority said the charges were brought in conjunction with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Hate Crime Unit.
Liz Edelkind, the victim, said that she was taking the Long Island Rail Road with her husband, son, and two other adults to a Knicks Basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Jan 10, 2022, as a Christmas present for her son.
The group was looking for seats together on the eastbound train and asked some passengers to move to accommodate them when the incident happened.
She said that while they are looking for a group of seats, Likerman and Digesaro began to verbally attack them due to Edelkind’s darker complexion and accent, the couple criticized them for being immigrants and said they didn’t belong in the U.S.
Edelkind said: “The couple starts calling me to curse words, immigrant, that I don’t pay taxes, that I have no rights in this country.”
The woman said that she didn’t even know what was initially going on because she and her family “had nothing to do with them.” But Likerman and Digesario didn’t stop.
A social media post from someone who claimed to witness the incident also said beer was thrown, and that the couple referred to Edelkind and her group as “foreigners.”
Edelkind told NBC 4: “They Threw beer at us. My pastor, her husband, and my husband got in the way to protect me. How dare they assume because I look or sound different that I am not a U.S. citizen.” She added that the racist couple left after the conductor was alerted.
After learning of the couple’s arrest, she said: “Hallelujah! When I heard they were arrested, I felt validated as a human, as a woman, as a U.S. citizen. Justice prevails.”
She shared that the whole incident was also captured on an LIRR camera, which MTA police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office used during their investigation. She said: “The attack was completely unprovoked, a situation they created.”
Edelkind said she hopes this case makes people think twice about displaying hate, and also sends a message to those victims like her saying: “Those words that come out their mouths don’t come out unless you have hatred in your heart.”
In her interview on NBC 4, she reminded everyone that she wants to show people that they have a voice and they should use it. The mom said: “If you’re not using your voice to stand against those oppressing you, then you are standing with them.”
After the video of Likerman and Digesaro racially harassing an immigrant family went viral the couple lost their job at the Empire Toyota of Huntington dealership.
The dealership wrote on Facebook: “Empire Toyota ownership and management were outraged by the event involving two of its employees this past Monday night on the Long Island Rail Road. The two employees were suspended when we first heard about this incident, and, as our investigation just concluded, they have been terminated.”
They continued: “The heart and soul of our labor force are extremely diverse and we value our employees beyond description. Further, our company’s deep support — financial and in-kind — of Long Island’s diverse communities is a matter of public record.”
“We can say without hesitation that whatever occurred on that LIRR train is in no way reflective of our company, its ownership, its management team, nor its employees,” they added.