Police in New York City have launched a hate crime investigation after they say a driver repeatedly rammed his car into the doors of the Chabad World Headquarters in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood Wednesday night. The driver has been taken into custody.
No one was injured, but managers evacuated the synagogue as a precaution around 9 p.m. local time.
What happened
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In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the U.S., the highest number since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.
NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said responding officers watched the man crash into a rear door of Chabad Lubavitch. He then threw the car into reverse and slammed into it again.
The NYPD bomb squad also responded to the scene but found no explosives inside the suspect’s vehicle.
Now, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is leading the investigation. Tisch stressed that it is still too early to know the driver’s motives.
Video of the crash shows a man getting out of the car and yelling, “It slipped.” He also said something to the police about trying to park.
🚨MAMDANI EFFECT:
— Manhattan Mingle (@ManhattanMingle) January 29, 2026
In an attempted effort to GIobaIize the lntifada a man is under arrest after ramming a vehicle multiple times into a back entrance at 770, Chabad Lubavitch's headquarters in Crown Heights. No injuries were reported – thank God. pic.twitter.com/dTkn6ECe2A
Tisch said police have increased security at houses of worship across the city out of an abundance of caution.
Officials condemn the so-called attack
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani went to the scene and condemned the attack.
“I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident,” Mamdani said. “This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning in the 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. Anti-semitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable.”
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a social media post the “intentional attack” was “disturbing and unacceptable.” He added that his office is working with the NYPD “to ensure justice is done and the community is safe.”
The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey posted a statement on social media saying it was “deeply disturbed” by the incident and thanking the NYPD for swiftly arresting the suspect.
“This building is not only a synagogue, but also the worldwide @Chabad Headquarters and a beloved symbol of Judaism around the world,” it said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul noted that this attack came just one day after a Rabbi was physically assaulted in Queens’ Forest Hills neighborhood. She said, “… an attack against the Jewish community is an attack against all New Yorkers.”
