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5 were stabbed at a New York residence, police say. A witness says it was the home of a rabbi

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Posted at 1:28 AM, Dec 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-29 01:28:55-05

BY CHRISTINA MAXOURIS AND SHEENA JONES, CNN (CNN) — Five people were stabbed at a Rockland County residence Saturday night, police said.

The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley Region saidin a tweetthe stabbing took place in the home of a Hasidic rabbi and all of the victims were Hasidic Jews.

They were taken to nearby hospitals, police said.

One witness, Aron Kohn, told reporters he saw the suspect coming into the home and pulling out a knife.

"He said something but I couldn't hear what he said," Kohn said, adding there were at least 100 people in the home and the "rabbi was lighting the candle."

Officials are still working an active crime scene, Town of Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said in a news conference.

He said a suspect, described as a tall black man, was apprehended by police.

'Zero tolerance for acts of hate'

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the stabbing was "the latest in a string of attacks against members of the Jewish community in New York this week."

"Let me be clear: anti-Semitism and bigotry of any kind are repugnant to our values of inclusion and diversity and we have absolutely zero tolerance for such acts of hate," the governor said in a statement.

The New York Attorney General Letitia James said there was "zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind. ... I stand with the Jewish community tonight and every night."

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