A man was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly repeatedly rammed a vehicle into the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City.
Spokespeople for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Lubavitch said there were no apparent injuries, although the doors are damaged, Fox News reported.
“The vehicle was inspected by the NYPD bomb squad, and no explosives were found. The driver shouted to bystanders that ‘it slipped’ and said something to police about attempting to park,” according to the report.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also opened a civil rights investigation into the crash.
“I have instructed our criminal prosecutors in @CivilRights to open a civil rights investigation into this violent attack,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in a post to X.
Socialist Muslim NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident “deeply alarming.”
“I am at 770 Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, where a man intentionally, and repeatedly, crashed his car into the building. I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident,” he said in a post to X.
“This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world,” he added. “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.”
“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,” he continued.
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