A man was arrested Wednesday evening after repeatedly slamming his vehicle into the doors of a prominent Brooklyn synagogue, an incident the New York Police Department is now investigating as a possible hate crime.
The attack unfolded around 8:45 p.m. ET at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood, as reported by Fox News correspondent Chanley Painter during Thursday morning’s episode of Fox & Friends. At the time of the incident, the synagogue was filled with worshippers attending a religious anniversary celebration.
Painter reported that “thousands of congregants” were inside the building when the crash occurred. Despite the violent nature of the incident, authorities said no one was injured. Video footage aired on Fox & Friends showed a gray Honda sedan repeatedly backing up and ramming into the synagogue’s doors, ultimately knocking them off their hinges.
Police were quickly called to the scene. According to Painter, witnesses said the driver eventually exited the vehicle and was identified to officers by people nearby. Witnesses described the man as angry and yelling, making statements such as, “I don’t know, it slipped, it slipped,” while gesturing toward his car. Painter added that the man told police his vehicle had experienced mechanical issues.
The driver was promptly taken into custody, and the NYPD confirmed that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
Painter also reported that multiple witnesses said they had seen the man “lurking outside” the synagogue prior to the attack. Those witnesses said they believe he is the same individual they had noticed at other locations in New Jersey in recent months. At one point, he was allegedly seen seeking spiritual guidance, according to those accounts.
The New York Times later identified the suspect as Dan Sohail, 36, a resident of Caharet, New Jersey, citing a senior law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation. The Times reported that Sohail was wearing shorts despite temperatures around 16 degrees at the time of the incident.
According to the report, Sohail was quickly arrested and handcuffed by two NYPD officers. He did not resist arrest but was observed appearing to spit toward the crowd as officers escorted him to a police vehicle.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani responded to the incident late Wednesday evening, posting a statement from the scene. He said he was relieved that no one was injured in what he described as a “horrifying incident.” Mamdani called the attack “deeply alarming,” particularly given the significance of the institution to Jewish communities in New York and around the world.
He stressed that any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously, adding that antisemitism has no place in the city and that violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable. Mamdani said he stood in solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish community and thanked first responders for their swift action.
Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also issued statements condemning the attack. Meanwhile, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dillon announced that she had instructed prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to open a civil rights investigation into what she described as a violent attack.
