Two men charged with hate crimes in robbery, attack on UPS driver in Ramapo

MONTEBELLO — Two men accused of attacking a UPS driver and trying to steal his truck face felony hate crime charges after claims they also used racial slurs, Ramapo police said.

The men were arrested Saturday after assaulting and attempting to rob the driver at 4:15 p.m. on Spook Rock Road, Police Chief Daniel Hyman said in a news release.

The men threw a water bottle at the vehicle, then attacked the driver, and attempted to steal the keys to the truck, Hyman said. The men are accused of yelling racial slurs at the driver, leading to the enhanced felony charges of hate crimes. Police said the driver was not white, but did not specify his race.

A police investigation led to the arrest of Yitzchok Zucker, 31, of New City, and Moshe Pepper, 31, of Mad River, California, on charges of second-degree attempted robbery as a hate crime and second-degree attempted assault as a hate crime.

Pepper also was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree harassment.

Hyman said Monday that the driver was not injured.

"He's apparently a big guy and was able to fend off the assault," Hyman said.

Both men were arraigned by Suffern Justice Vincent Altieri and released without bail pending scheduled appearances on Sept. 4 in Montebello Justice Court. The charges also could be presented to a Rockland grand jury by the District Attorney's Office.

In New York, a hate crime can be charged when people are accused of intentionally targeting others based on their race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability, or sexual orientation. A hate crime is an enhanced charge.

Other hate crime-related arrests have been made in Ramapo in recent months.

In May, four teenagers were charged by police with hate-related crimes after being accused of verbally and physically attacking Jews while driving around town during Sabbath observances.

In April, a food delivery driver and customer became embroiled in an argument over a late delivery, leading to a hate crime charge against the driver, Ramapo police said.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Two men charged with hate crimes in robbery, attack on UPS driver in Ramapo