Man accused of throwing brick at window of LGBT bar in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen is under arrest

A man accused of a series of brick attacks at an LGBT bar in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood has been arrested at his home a block away.

Sean Kuilan, 34, has been charged with three counts of criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, each, after bricks were thrown at the window of the VERS bar during the week last. He has not yet been charged with a hate crime.

It comes after police released video of the suspect throwing a brick at the bar window over the weekend. Owner David DeParolesa said this is the fourth time his location has been the victim of recent hate attacks.

Kuilan was arrested Tuesday afternoon at his home just a block from the bar near 9th Avenue, ABC reports.

DeParolesa said he was pleased police were able to make an arrest, but worried the suspect did not act alone.

“I really hope it’s just that one person and we can close the book — I’m not sure that’s the case,” he told the Post.

Footage showed Kuilan running away from the scene before backing up and taking another spike. Pictured: Kuilan throwing the brick at a window as people were inside

Kuilan was charged with three counts of criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, each, for three brick attacks on the bar

Police noted that the crimes against VERS took place on November 13, 15 and 19.

In the first incident, police said Kuilan threw a brick into the window of the LGBT bar, where they received the call around 5:35 p.m.

Two days later, police received another call about a brick being thrown at the bar window at 6.40pm, damaging it. As in the previous attack, no injuries were reported.

Then came the incident on Saturday, where another brick was thrown against the shatterproof window, this time later that night at 9.57pm.

On Monday, police also released video of the suspect shopping at a convenience store on the day of the latest incident.

The NYPD had said there was a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest, but it was not immediately clear whether the suspect was arrested as a result of a community pipe. He was reserved for the NYPD’s 7th Precinct.

Police officials said investigations were still ongoing and would not yet release any additional information about the suspect in custody.

In response to the latest attack on his establishment, DeProlesa said he considered potential hate crimes when he first opened the bar in July and decided to install shatterproof windows.

It seemed like the right call as the brick the man threw was stopped by the glass and meant no one was hurt.

Restaurant owner David DeProlesa said the attack was the fourth this week and he had prepared for it to happen when the bar opened in July. Pictured: Kuilan in a convenience store on the day of Saturday’s attack

Surveillance footage revealed Kuilan plowed a brick in the window of the Manhattan VERS bar in Hell’s Kitchen as people sat inside

The police noted that the crimes against VERS took place on November 13, 15 and 19

Saturday’s attack was his third at the facility in a week that ultimately damaged the shatterproof front glass

Since the incident, the NYPD has increased its presence in the area and remains on high alert for potential hate crimes following the deadly shooting in Colorado Springs and a plan to attack synagogues in the city. town over the weekend.

“I have directed New York State Police to increase oversight and increase support for communities that are potential targets of hate crimes,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

“Here in New York, we will not tolerate violence or bigotry against any community.” We are united against hate – today and every day.

The LGBTQ community was reeling over the weekend after a gunman walked into a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs and fired an unknown number of bullets from his AR-15-style long rifle.

Two heroic patrons were able to tackle the shooter to the ground after killing five people and injuring 35 others.

“Their actions clearly saved lives,” Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said at a Sunday morning news conference, noting that another unidentified firearm was found at the scene.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was arrested at the scene and is now in custody at a local hospital with unknown injuries.

People hold a vigil at a makeshift memorial near Club Q nightclub on Sunday night after the horror shooting

Anderson Lee Aldrich is shown, left, in a family photo and right, in a June 2021 livestream where he threatened to blow up a house where his mother was renting a room. He is now charged with five counts of murder

Meanwhile, in New York, authorities have reported 551 hate crimes so far this year, a 16% increase from the same time in 2021.

Statistics showed that 46 hate crimes were reported last month, up three from the same time last year.

The Jewish community has been hardest hit, with 20 incidents reported in the past month.

Anti-Semitic hatred is on the NYPD’s list of top concerns, especially after a man planned to tie down synagogues in the city last week.

Christopher Brown, 21, has since been arrested after tweeting anti-Semitic threats at New York synagogues.

He was arrested Saturday at Penn Station along with his 22-year-old accomplice, Matthew Mahrer.

Overall crime in the Big Apple is up 29.1% from last year

Along with an increase in hate crimes, the Big Apple has seen violent crime continue to rise.

According to the NYPD, overall crime is up 29.1% in New York City from a year ago, with felony assaults, rapes and robberies in double digits. Murders are down 14.8% and shootings down 12.5%.

Criminal assaults have also increased by almost 14%, with police recording 22,319 cases so far this year, and rapes have increased by almost 11%.

Murders and the number of gunshot victims fell by 14.4 and 13.6 percent, respectively.

The city’s transit system appears to be bearing the brunt of rising crime, with around 1,865 reports so far in 2022, a 41.7% spike from last year.