Racist New York Couple From Viral Train Incident Are Arrested... and Fired

A man and woman in New York have been both fired and arrested for verbally assaulting a family on a train in an incident that police have determined to be a hate crime.

The Daily Voice reported that Justin Likerman and Kristin Digesaro, of 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 Crimes Unit.

Liz Edelkind 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, according to NBC 4 New York. While looking for a group of seats, Likerman and Digesaro began to verbally attack them due to Edelkind’s darker complexion and accent, Edelkind said. The couple criticized the group for being immigrants and said they didn’t belong in the U.S.

“They threw beer at us. My pastor…her husband and my husband got in the way to protect me," Edelkind told NBC 4.

A witness captured the assault on video, and it went viral on social media. In the footage, Likerman and Digesaro, who appear to be also going to the game, can be seen hurling verbal jabs after Edelkind and her group boarded. Likerman is heard saying, “Look straight because I’m going to get arrested tonight,” before throwing some sort of liquid.

“Don’t look at me, don’t fucking look at me,” Likerman said repeatedly. “These fucking foreigners ain’t taking over my country.”

After alerting the conductor on duty, Edelkind said the couple left.