NEW HAMPTON – A resident of the Village of Kiryas Joel was turned away from an appointment for an auto repair at Johnstons Toyota in New Hampton on Monday morning when an employee told him he “spread the virus,” an apparent reference to the coronavirus that is plaguing the country, the customer maintains.
The customer recorded the interaction. When the employee made the comment, the man asked what he meant and the worker walked away from him.
Steve Jardine, a member of the management team, maintains they did not refuse to work on his vehicle. “We have signs all over the building claiming that you are in an Affected Area that could you please come back at another time. Three times he was told that and refused to leave demanding an ‘oil change’ and he got out his videotape to show us asking him for the 4th time to leave because of fear of the virus.”
Jardine said, “The rabbi there has the virus and there has been many recorded cases there and my employees were scared for their safety as anyone would be. We are here for essential work, not for oil changes no matter who you are. Recalls, breakdowns and emergencies only. We spoke with the DA locally about this and everyone is concerned about the safety of the public.”
The incident is being reviewed by the State Attorney General’s Office, a spokesman confirmed. Attorney General Letitia James said she has set up a hate crime and bias-based incident hotline since COVID-19 surfaced. That number of 800-771-7755.
Rabbi Rachel Rubenstein, the executive director of the Orange County Jewish Federation, urged people “not to give in to their basic instincts to scapegoat the Jewish community and to scapegoat people who look differently than themselves. We are all scared and we are all in this together and we all have to come together in this moment for the greater good.”
