Long Island Railroad passengers facing hate crime charges after verbal assault on train

Two Long Island Railroad riders have been charged with hate crimes after they verbally attacked a couple and their ten year old daughter on a train on January 10.

The altercation, captured on video and posted to Twitter, shows Justin Likerman, 37, and Kristin Digesaro, 39, verbally berating the family on the train ride back to Long Island after a Knicks game. Likerman, a Ronkonkoma resident, can be heard repeatedly telling the family, “Look straight. Look straight because I’m gonna get arrested tonight,” he says repeatedly. “Don’t f–king look at me. Look straight.”

When another passenger attempts to calm Likerman, saying “it’s not worth it,” Likerman responds saying, “I know it’s not worth it. These f–king foreigners ain’t taking over my f–king country.”

The family, Liz Ederkind and her husband and ten year old child, told NBC they were looking for seats on the train so they could sit together, and asked some passengers if they could move seats to accommodate the family.

That seemed to trigger Likerman and Digesaro, who then began hurling insults at the family. The couple started to verbally attack me, calling me curse words, immigrant, that I don’t pay taxes, that I have no rights in this country,” Edelkind said.

The couple was also caught throwing beer on Edelkind. The two turned themselves in at Grand Central Terminal this week and have been charged. Likerman faces charges of aggravated harassment as a hate crime and endangerment of a child’s welfare. Digesaro was also charged with endangering the well being of a minor.