Tow Truck Driver Fired for Antisemitic Statements

A Brooklyn tow truck driver has been fired after making antisemitic statements at Jews who were asking him to move his truck that was blocking a Boro Park street.

The incident occurred at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, on 50th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, according to a witness, who spoke to Hamodia on condition of anonymity. The truck from Jets Towing was trying to back into a driveway to tow a vehicle. But the truck did not have enough space to back in, so he asked the vehicle behind him to back up.

However, the vehicle behind him was unable to back up, as there was a line of cars behind it. The motorists suggested the tow truck driver go around the block. But the driver refused, instead blocking traffic, and he became belligerent as a crowd gathered.

Video taken by the witness shows the driver saying, “Go back to your [expletive] country, let Hitler kill your [expletive], [expletive]. How about that?”

The witness did not provide video of the exchanges that occurred prior or subsequent to that one.

According to the witness, the driver remained in the street, blocking traffic for half an hour, until finally moving when an ambulance with sirens needed to pass.

The witness said that he called Jets and sent them video of the incident, and the dispatcher told him the driver was being fired.

The dispatcher, Ralph McCluggage, confirmed to Hamodia that the driver was fired.

“We do not condone any type of antisemitism or racism at our company,” McCluggage said.

McCluggage said the driver in quetsion had been working at Jets for “about a year,” but could not provide his name.

The witness who spoke with Hamodia said he is “happy that the company immediately fired the driver, and sent a message that antisemitism will not be tolerated.”

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rborchardt@hamodia.com