- Wednesday's car ramming incident at a local synagogue is being investigated as a potential hate crime by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
- Video footage showed a car repeatedly ramming into the entrance on the building.
- No injuries were reported and the driver was taken into custody.
A car rammed into the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters on Wednesday evening in Brooklyn, and the New York Police Department says it is investigating the event as a potential hate crime.
The incident was captured on video and shared on social media, according to news accounts.
According to ABC News, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch shared that police were assigned to a detail at the building in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood. The officers heard commotion at approximately 8:45 p.m.
After responding to the noise, the officers saw a vehicle strike the rear door, reverse and then strike the door again.
No injuries have been reported and the police took the driver into custody.
“Officers immediately ordered the driver out of the car and placed him under arrest,” Tisch said, per BBC.
The police department’s bomb squad did a full sweep of the car and did not find any explosives or other dangerous devices.
The investigation is being led by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, per ABC News.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD has significantly increased security around houses of worship throughout all five boroughs,” the police commissioner said.
The incident happened during a Chabad holiday and thousands of people from all over the world were gathered at the headquarters. According to BBC, the headquarters is a red brick synagogue that is attended by followers of the Hasidic branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism.
How New York leaders are reacting to the incident
The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey shared a statement about the incident on social media.
“We are deeply disturbed by reports of an incident that occurred tonight in Brooklyn. Just minutes ago, a car repeatedly rammed into 770 Eastern Parkway,” the organization wrote. “This building is not only a synagogue but also the worldwide @Chabad Headquarters and a beloved symbol of Judaism around the world.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X that the incident was “deeply alarming.”
“Any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable,” he wrote.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted about the incident on X. “An attack against the Jewish community is an attack against all New Yorkers,” she wrote.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez shared his own post on X, calling the crash “disturbing and unacceptable.”
