Chicago crime: Adam Erkan due in court on hate crime charges in attack of 2 Jewish DePaul students on Lincoln Park campus
Share and Follow

CHICAGO (WLS) — A man charged in an attack on two Jewish students on DePaul University’s campus is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Adam Erkan, 20, is facing aggravated battery and hate crime charges.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

This is a story the ABC7 I-Team has been following closely and now, five months after the attack, a suspect has been charged.

Cook County State’s Attorney prosecutors said it was Erkan who beat students Max Long and Michael Kaminsky, one of them an Israeli soldier, late last year, leaving them with a concussion and broken wrist.

Video shows that violent encounter from November 6. Video shows two masked men beat and knock down Long and Kaminsky.

The two said they were advocating for conversation outside the University’s Student Center about the Israel-Hamas War.

Erkan, who prosecutors said is now locked up faces two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of hate crime.

Max Long said the attack has changed the way he feels on campus.

“I can’t even go back to campus and feel safe, like I really felt exposed, isolated and attacked, physically and, you know, and psychologically,” Long said.

More than five months later, police have now arrested Erkan, who is from the northwest suburbs.

“That just proves that there was five months of looking over our shoulder every single day and what Max and I continue to do, because we know that there’s still another perpetrator out there,” Kaminsky said.

Attorneys Jaclyn Clark and Gerard Filliti with the Lawfare Project are representing the pair in its lawsuit against DePaul University following the attack.

“These are two individuals who are targeted on their campus simply for being Jewish or advocating for the Jewish people, so they’ve they’ve been living in fear, and the fact that these two suspects have remained at large for over five months has certainly contributed greatly to that fear,” Clark said.

“I think it’s very important to see justice play out,” Filliti said. “These arrests are crucial, not just to max and Michael, but to the Jewish community, we’ve seen too many hate crime attacks go unpunished.”

Long and Kaminsky said news of this arrest kind of helps them move forward, but they’re waiting for the second suspect to be found and charged.

The I-Team reached out to DePaul regarding the arrest and charges, but they have not responded.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood

The ABC7 Chicago I-Team has learned that a suspect arrested in the attack against two Jewish DePaul students is now facing multiple charges, including two counts of a hate crime.

The suspect, Adam Erkan, has also been charged with counts of aggravated battery with great bodily harm, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said late Wednesday.

The charges came after Chicago police announced the arrest of a person of interest earlier Wednesday.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Prosecutors said Erkan attacked and beat two Jewish students at DePaul late last year, leaving them with a concussion and broken wrist.

The victims, Max Long and Michael Kaminsky, told the I-Team they feel a little bit safer for the first time in months.

“I think there is a little sigh of relief knowing that one of the two violent perpetrators who went out of their way to attack two Jewish students is now off the streets for the time being,” Kaminsky said.

Prosecutors with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said the alleged attacker who’s now locked up is Adam Erkan. The 20-year-old man is charged with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of hate crime against Long and Kaminsky.

November 6, the pair of friends and DePaul University students, one of them an Israeli soldier, were staged outside DePaul University’s Student Center, advocating for conversation about the Israel-Hamas war when video showed the violent attack. Two masked men beat and knocked the students to the ground.

“I can’t even go back to campus and feel safe, like I really felt exposed, isolated and attacked, physically and, you know, and psychologically,” Long said.

More than five months later, police have now arrested Erkan, who is from the northwest suburbs.

“That just proves that there was five months of looking over our shoulder every single day and what Max and I continue to do, because we know that there’s still another perpetrator out there,” Kaminsky said.

Attorneys Jaclyn Clark and Gerard Filliti with the Lawfare Project are representing the pair in its lawsuit against DePaul University following the attack.

“These are two individuals who are targeted on their campus simply for being Jewish or advocating for the Jewish people, so they’ve they’ve been living in fear, and the fact that these two suspects have remained at large for over five months has certainly contributed greatly to that fear,” Clark said.

“I think it’s very important to see justice play out,” Filliti said. “These arrests are crucial, not just to max and Michael, but to the Jewish community, we’ve seen too many hate crime attacks go unpunished.”

Now, Long and Kaminsky said their second assailant needs to be caught and charged, and the conversation on campus needs to change.

The I-Team reached out to DePaul regarding the arrest and charges, but they have not responded.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Nikki Glaser makes A-listers GROAN as she makes Epstein files joke

Nikki Glaser Sparks Controversy with Bold Epstein Files Joke at Star-Studded Event

Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser kicked off the 2026 ceremony with a…
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says DOJ has subpoenaed central bank, threatens criminal indictment

Federal Reserve Under Scrutiny: DOJ Subpoena Sparks Indictment Threat

In a striking development, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed on Sunday…
Golden Globes 2026: Best dressed on the red carpet

Golden Globes 2026: Unveiling the Most Stunning Red Carpet Fashion Moments

On Sunday evening, Hollywood’s brightest stars gathered at the legendary Beverly Hilton…
Somali scams expose a toxic brew: wokeness, welfare and immigration

Unveiling the Complex Web: Somali Scams Highlight Challenges in Wokeness, Welfare, and Immigration

There is a significant level of corruption reportedly present among the Somali…
FDA upgrades nationwide cheese recall to highest danger level after listeria-causing bacteria found

FDA Escalates Cheese Recall to High Alert Due to Listeria Contamination Risk

The reclassification comes after identifying Listeria monocytogenes, a harmful bacterium known for…
Chicago Bears to face Los Angeles Rams in divisional round of NFL playoffs after beating Green Bay Packers in wild-care game

Chicago Bears Set to Clash with Los Angeles Rams in High-Stakes Divisional Playoff Showdown

As the Chicago Bears prepare to face off against the Los Angeles…
Steven Bartlett proposed to his yoga guru girlfriend  in Morocco

Steven Bartlett Proposes to His Yoga Instructor Girlfriend During Moroccan Getaway

Steven Bartlett, the well-known entrepreneur from “Dragons’ Den,” recently proposed to his…
St. Augustine leaders consider plans for proposed public parking garage

St. Augustine Officials Deliberate on Proposed Public Parking Garage Plans

A proposed public parking garage is set to alleviate the chronic parking…