Car repeatedly rams orthodox Jewish group’s New York headquarters in suspected hate crime

A car was repeatedly driven into a New York City synagogue on Wednesday night in a suspected hate crime.

The grey Honda Sedan rammed into the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, hitting the entrance door multiple times until it came off its hinges.

Footage of the incident showed bystanders yelling at the vehicle as it reversed and smashed into the side entrance. When the driver got out, he said: “I dunno, it slipped. It slipped, you f***ing ***hole,” before he was arrested.

The Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters is a central hub for followers of the Hasidic branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism.

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Yaacov Behrman, a Chabad spokesperson, told The New York Post that the incident has left local residents feeling terrified.

He said that the evening had been meant to be one of celebration, marking the 75th anniversary of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson accepting leadership of the Chabad.

“This is a very serious incident — it’s very frightening,” he said. “We know how dangerous it is to be Jewish today worldwide.

“We’re concerned about what this person intended to do, and we’re waiting for assurances from the police department that the area is safe.”

Police arrived at the scene at around 8.45pm, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference. The NYPD bomb squad was called to the incident to sweep the vehicle for any signs of explosives, but none were found.

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Police are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime. Sources told The Post the driver maintains his vehicle had suffered a mechanical issue.

Witnesses told The Post that the as-yet-unnamed man is known to the local Jewish community.

One said he had spotted the man at a New Jersey synagogue, where he was “looking for spiritual guidance.”

“He was always asking people for help,” said another. “They called the police on him before.”

According to The Post, the driver had gone to a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution, on Tuesday to arrange a conversion to Judaism but had been denied.

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As investigations into the attack continue, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a public statement describing the incident as “horrifying.”

“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 wrote on X. “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.”

In recent months, antisemitic hate crimes have rocketed in the United States. Nearly 70 percent of all religious-based hate crimes in 2024 were targeted at Jewish people, according to FBI data seen by the ADL.

Just days ago, a rabbi was attacked in Queens, New York, on Holocaust Remembrance Day. A joint statement from several New York officials revealed that he was “verbally harassed, physically assaulted and threatened for being Jewish.”

“We are relieved that the victim did not suffer serious injuries and we stand in solidarity with him and with the Jewish community during this painful moment,” the statement added.