A car repeatedly crashed into the door of the Chabad World Headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, overnight Thursday, the New York Police Department said.
The driver was arrested at the scene. No one was injured in the incident, and a hate crime investigation has been opened.
Car crashes into entrance of Chabad World Headquarters in Brooklyn
(Video: Fox News)
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, officers who were guarding the location heard the noise and saw a vehicle crash into the door, pull back and then crash into it again. They quickly pulled the driver out of the vehicle. His name has not been released. The NYPD’s hate crimes unit is handling the investigation, and police have increased their presence around houses of worship across the city.
The incident took place while people were gathered for prayer and on the 75th anniversary of the day Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson became leader of the Lubavitch movement. Schneerson died in 1994.
Video of the crash posted online shows a car with New Jersey license plates moving forward and backward on an icy driveway leading to a building in the complex and ramming its basement-level doors.
The vehicle was registered to Dan Sohail, 36, of New Jersey. Preliminary information indicates that the suspect was previously arrested in New Jersey after attempting to enter a Chabad synagogue. Police believe that the incident may have fueled his anger and that he then decided to target the worldwide headquarters of the movement in Brooklyn.
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Driver arrested at the scene of the incident; the vehicle was registered to Dan Sohail, 36, of New Jersey
(Photo: From social media)
Police also believe the driver acted alone, and there is no indication of a connection to a terrorist organization. After exiting the vehicle, the driver claimed “it slipped,” used profanities at the Orthodox Jewish community present and spat at them.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrived at the scene and called it a "horrifying incident."
"This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world. Any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously," he wrote in a post on X.
"Antisemitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable. I stand in solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish community, and I am grateful to our first responders for taking swift action. I will keep New Yorkers updated as we learn more about the incident."
The New York chapter of the Anti‑Defamation League also expressed “deep shock” over the incident, noting that the location is not just a synagogue, but a central symbol of Judaism worldwide.
The site serves as the headquarters of the Chabad movement, founded in Russia nearly 250 years ago and today operating some 3,500 institutions in about 100 countries. According to Commissioner Tisch, an explosives squad inspected the vehicle and found nothing suspicious. At this stage, no weapon or clear motive has been identified.