Hammer-wielding creep with more than 50 prior arrests chases woman into NYC Jewish school

A hammer-wielding creep with more than 50 prior arrests chased a woman into a Jewish school in Queens — before a security guard stopped him in a scuffle that left an 8-year-old boy injured, law enforcement sources said. 

The maniac, 42, made eye contact with a 19-year-old woman — who is not Jewish — and started following her at Hoffman Drive and Woodhaven Boulevard in Elmhurst around 10:50 a.m., the sources said. 

The woman ducked into the nearby Jewish Institute of Queens on Woodhaven Boulevard near Wetherole Street for shelter, but the alleged stalker tried to follow her inside, according to the sources. 

As a school security guard tried to hold back the man, the young boy was caught in the middle and accidentally bumped by the guard, hitting his head on the fence, the sources said.

The child was taken to Long Island Jewish Hospital with a cut on his head that is considered non-life-threatening, the sources said.

The suspect was apprehended at the scene — with the hammer recovered — and charges are pending.

Investigators are probing whether the attack was a hate crime, but it did not immediately appear that the suspect made any statements, according to the sources.

But representatives from Queens Shmira, a non-profit public safety patrol which also responded, said they “can confirm that this incident was not a hate crime” and that the suspect “was an emotionally disturbed individual.”

The arrested man has 51 previous arrests in the Big Apple — including one from Friday when he allegedly stole $1,300 worth of things from Bergdorf Goodman, sources said.

He was freed without bail, according to public records.

He was also busted on July 8 for a petit larceny, and nabbed on May 7 for an April 30 petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property case — both in Queens, the sources said. 

The suspect also has an extensive history of mental health-related incidents in the city and has a gang affiliation, according to the sources.

A representative from the school declined to comment when reached by The Post.

“I am praying for the injured child, the college-aged woman who sought refuge, and everyone impacted by this frightening incident,” Council Member Phil Wong, who represents the area, said in a statement. “I am also grateful to the institute’s security personnel and the officers of the 112 Precinct for their swift actions in bringing this dangerous situation to an end.”

Additional reporting by Xavier Serrano