Man declared not criminally responsible after father attacked at Montreal park

A screenshot of a video showing an attack on a father in front of his children in Dickie Moore Park on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Source: X/Mayer Feig)

A Quebec judge has declared a 24-year-old man accused of assault against a father at a Montreal park last August not criminally responsible.

Judge Eric Poudrier made the declaration on Monday after Sergio Yanes Preciado was required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

He had been charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm following an incident on Aug. 8, when a 32-year-old Jewish father of three was attacked at a park in the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough.

• READ MORE: Montreal police investigating assault on Orthodox Jewish man

A bystander caught part of the incident on video, showing a suspect repeatedly punching a man on the ground as young children stand nearby.

The suspect then appears to throw the victim’s kippa to the ground before leaving.

The attack drew heavy condemnation from Jewish advocacy groups and politicians.

However, the incident has not been declared a hate crime.

“It was apparent from the psychiatric evaluation that it was not a hate crime but a crime that resulted from his mental illness,” Crown prosecutors confirmed to CTV News.

• READ MORE: Man charged after Jewish father attacked in Montreal; accused to undergo psych evaluation

Yanes Preciado is expected to remain detained at the Montreal General Hospital, according to Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales.