An injured man involved in a traffic accident in Toms River, New Jersey, repeatedly refused medical treatment because the emergency responders attempting to help him were Orthodox Jews. His objections continued even after additional personnel arrived through the local 911 service, only for the man to eventually find himself in a hospital being cared for by an Orthodox Jewish nurse.
According to an account shared by Hatzolah volunteer Booky Kaluszyner and subsequently reported by Ynet, the incident began when a Jewish emergency responder arrived at a two-vehicle accident and approached one of the injured motorists. Rather than accept assistance, the man reportedly told the volunteer, “Get me the real 911. I don’t want your kind touching me.”
The volunteer contacted dispatch and requested additional personnel from Toms River’s emergency services. When two responders arrived through the local 911 service, both turned out to be Orthodox Jews. The injured man again refused their assistance, despite being informed that they were legitimate emergency personnel, insisting that someone else be sent.
Non-Orthodox emergency personnel eventually arrived and assessed the injured man before requesting paramedics. But when the paramedics arrived, they too were Orthodox Jews, two Hasidic men with beards and traditional sidelocks. Having already rejected assistance from the original Hatzolah volunteer and two Orthodox Jewish 911 responders, the man once again found himself facing members of the very community whose help he had refused.
The story did not end at the accident scene. The man was eventually transported to hospital, where, according to Kaluszyner, the nurse assigned to care for him was also an Orthodox Jewish woman. After repeatedly demanding medical personnel who were not Orthodox Jews, he had arrived at a hospital only to discover that the person responsible for his nursing care was a member of the same community he had rejected. There is no information available about his reaction to the nurse or whether he accepted her care.
The extent of the man’s injuries remains unknown, as does his condition following the accident. No information has been released identifying the patient or indicating whether the refusal of treatment affected his recovery. Kaluszyner’s account has been circulated by several news organizations, although the details have not been independently confirmed by police or hospital authorities.
The incident comes against a long history of hostility toward the growing Orthodox Jewish population in Toms River and neighbouring Lakewood, home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States. For years, the arrival of Orthodox Jewish families in surrounding communities has generated political controversy, organized opposition and accusations that Jewish residents are taking over neighbourhoods.
In 2021, the United States Department of Justice reached a settlement with Toms River over zoning restrictions that limited the construction of houses of worship, particularly affecting Orthodox Jews. Federal authorities alleged that the township’s regulations discriminated against religious institutions and imposed unreasonable restrictions on religious practice. The municipality agreed to amend its zoning regulations following the federal intervention.
Hostility toward the area’s Orthodox Jewish population has also found an enormous audience on social media. Earlier this year, controversial YouTuber Tyler Oliveira published a video titled I Exposed New Jersey’s Jewish Invasion, portraying Lakewood’s Orthodox community through accusations involving welfare fraud, corruption and the supposed takeover of surrounding communities. The video attracted millions of views, along with criticism from Jewish organizations and residents who accused Oliveira of promoting familiar anti-Jewish stereotypes.
Oliveira had previously produced similar material about the Hasidic community of Kiryas Joel, New York. His activities have generated considerable controversy, including a decision by Israeli authorities to deny him entry to Israel in May over his reported harassment of Jewish communities.
The hostility directed toward Orthodox Jews in the Toms River and Lakewood area, however, predates Oliveira’s involvement by years. His videos have brought accusations and resentment that were once largely confined to local disputes before an audience numbering in the millions, repeatedly portraying an identifiable religious community as unwelcome in its own neighbourhoods.
Following the incident, Kaluszyner clarified that his account was not intended as criticism of Toms River’s emergency services, whose personnel he praised for their professionalism. His concern was the conduct of a patient who reportedly rejected medical assistance solely because of the religious identity of those attempting to help him.
None of the Orthodox Jewish responders had been called to the accident scene to discuss religion, local politics or the controversies surrounding Jewish population growth. They were there to provide emergency medical care to an injured stranger. Despite the repeated rejection, they continued working to ensure that he received the assistance he needed.
The man reportedly refused help from Orthodox Jewish volunteers, rejected Orthodox Jewish emergency responders sent through 911 and then encountered two Hasidic paramedics. When he finally reached the hospital, the nurse assigned to him was an Orthodox Jewish woman. The people he wanted nowhere near him were the same people who kept showing up to help him.
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