Man charged with assault after attack on Jewish father in Montreal caught on video

MONTREAL — A 23-year-old man has been charged in the assault of a Jewish father at a Montreal park last week.

The incident, captured on a 28-second video shared widely online, drew swift condemnation including from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Quebec Premier François Legault.

Sergio Yanes Preciado is facing a charge of assault causing bodily harm, and he appeared briefly on Tuesday before a Quebec court judge from a detention centre in Montreal’s north end.

The Crown has objected to his release, and he is scheduled to return to court Wednesday morning.

Police say the 32-year-old father was assaulted on Aug. 8 while he was with his young children in Dickie Moore park in the borough of Villeray—St-Michel—Parc-Extension. They say the victim was sprayed with a bottle of water, and when he tried to confront the accused he was pushed to the ground, punched and kneed before his assailant fled on foot.

The accused was arrested on Monday.

Yanes Preciado, a Montreal resident who lives less than two kilometres from the park, met with investigators before appearing in court Tuesday. The Crown requested a psychosocial evaluation to be conducted ahead of the next court date.

Quebec court Judge Éric de Champlain forbade the accused from contacting the alleged victim.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.