Victim Joel Weinberger

The two Brooklyn teens who were arrested earlier this week, accused of beating a 45-year old Hasidic man as he left a Hanukkah party, have been connected with at least two other beatings of Orthodox Jews in the last few weeks. Police revealed that one of the teens admitted to the brutal attack on Hasidic teacher Joel Weinberger on Thanksgiving, which has been classified as a hate crime.

The attack left Weinberger hospitalized for four days with his jaw wired shut and a broken leg, and he had to undergo surgery for a broken eye socket that included having three plates implanted in his face. The teens, who are both 15, are also accused of attacking another Orthodox victim (whose name hasn't been released) last Saturday night, two days before assaulting Moshe Guttman after leaving a Hanukkah party at a yeshiva. During Family Court proceeding yesterday, more shocking details were released about the boys: that they are truants who attend school less than 50% of the time, allegedly use drugs, and exhibit "behavior that is out of control." According to a defense lawyer, at least one of the teens "needs a substance abuse program."