A diplomatic incident on the east coast? Yonatan Maimon, a 24-year-old man who works at the Israeli consulate in New York, is accused of attempted murder after he attacked a man and hit him with a giant glass jug without provocation on his part while he was bare-chested outside a Manhattan nightclub. Yonatan is the son of Israel Maimon, an Israeli public figure who served as president and CEO of the Bonds organization.
According to US media reports, Maimon went on a rampage with the 1.75 liter glass bottle after visiting a nightclub in Soho on February 26, hitting a 42-year-old man in the head seven times until the jug broke. Maimon faces five to 25 years behind bars.
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According to the reports, Maimon approached the victim, whose name has not been released, while he was standing at a traffic light and waiting for the green light. Maimon – whose position at the consulate was not disclosed – is accused of striking his victim once in the head with force, which caused the victim to fall to the ground, without any provocation on his part. That didn’t stop the attack, with officers saying Maimon was seen hitting his victim six more times.
According to the police, Maimon only stopped when the glass bottle shattered after landing the seventh blow. Paramedics evacuated the victim for medical treatment at Bellevue Hospital suffering from bleeding on the brain and multiple lacerations, according to the NYPD.
Maimon is further accused of using the same jug to smash the window of a passing Uber taxi moments before the violence began. In footage recorded from a taxi, and released by the New York Police Department, a man who closely resembles Maimon can be seen rampaging down the street while driving the empty glass container. A white limousine was photographed idly behind the attacker, who pulled his white t-shirt off his shoulders to reveal his tattooed torso.
A NYPD spokesman said they had a “strong case” against Maimon, who was recorded hanging out at the Gospel nightclub shortly before the attack. Prosecutors said they have credit card receipts from Gospel that prove the funding was there.
It is not clear what – if anything – caused Maimon’s apparently violent rage. It is not clear if Maimon met his alleged victim inside the club before the beating, and if he remained employed at the Israeli consulate.
Maimon looked sheepish outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, as he was released on $25,000 bail. He faces between five and 25 years behind bars if convicted of the attempted murder charge.