A man was taken into custody Wednesday after repeatedly ramming a vehicle into an entrance of Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights.
Footage recorded by bystanders shows the driver steering his vehicle into an entrance at the bottom of a ramp, reversing, and then accelerating into the same doorway at least two additional times. After exiting the vehicle, the driver can be heard claiming that his vehicle had “slipped,” though the footage appears to show deliberate acceleration into the structure.
New York Police Department officers responded within moments and placed the man in custody. Authorities also called in the NYPD Bomb Squad to examine the suspect’s vehicle out of an abundance of caution.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The extent of the damage to the building was not immediately clear.
The motive for the apparent attack has not been disclosed, and police have not said whether the incident is being investigated as a hate crime, a targeted attack on a religious institution, or a non-ideological act.
However, highly credible sources tell YWN that the suspect had arrived at a yeshiva in Carteret, NJ, yesterday claiming he wanted to convert to Judaism. Sources say he was not taken seriously and was “upset” by the response, prompting his deranged rampage tonight.
YWN notes that the incident occurred on one of the busiest nights and most important days of the Chabad Calender: The Yartzheit of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Harav Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, zt”l, and the 75th anniversary of the day that the Rebbe zt’l took on leadership. It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was injured.
Additional information will be released as the investigation develops.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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12 Responses
He tried getting into “the tunnel”.
What lubavitch needs is cement pillars or flower pots like many big shuls and government offices have. They should have thrown something to smash his back windows after the first or second ramming. He looks like a lefty. Who knows if he’s Jewish.
Just a poor guy trying to get a parking spot in New York. Nothing to see here folks. He will get a parking ticket and go home.
He will certainly walk as if anyone was ever declared mentally handic, it’s gotta be him. To have initiated such an action onto the most camera secured place, he’s gotta be nuts.
My Satmar boys would have taken care of him. By the time the police came, they would be collecting body parts. Maybe he suddenly remembered that he didn’t put on tefilin?
Remember, he’s not antisemitic, he’s not even anti-Zionist. He’s just doing it to protest Meshichism!
(Sarcasm alert, in case not obvious. Not always the case when dealing with Neturei Karta logic.)
“teach me the torah while standing on one foot” – in other words, we can blame shamai for this incident. had hillel been in carteret, this wouldn’t have happened at all.
“Who knows if he’s Jewish”… there is always at least one exceptionally dumb comment on stories like these… Jews do not commit acts of terrorism!
And BTW, it says clearly in the article that he wanted to convert to Judaism but he was not taken seriously…
I feel for him. Poor guy just wanted to join the Carbrengen….
I just saw clips of this guy dancing in 770 and he has been to other Chabad centers in New Jersey. He had some mental issues but he was seeking spirituality. The message I believe is the Rebbe sending from Heaven is to open the doors to so many millions of unaffiliated Jews be they reform or unaffiliated or off the derech. The time has come to put out the video of this guy dancing with his long hair wearing shorts with a circle of chassidim in 770. Plus other such videos of modern or non religious Jews being accepted with food and dancing. Many non religious and even OTD are afraid to get close to Frum people as they fear rejection. We need a 24 hour very large screen on the walls of the Jewish children museum on Kingston ave to play videos only of secular yidden with long hair being welcomed by Chabad with food and dancing. Tables each day should be put out in crown heights for many youngsters who are not in yeshiva with 15 minute learning Torah along with some food. Things are moving fast but we must reach every Jew including ourselves. Yes everyone needs to increase their ruchnius. Looking dressed up Frum is not enough. We need strong emunah. The Rebbe’s message is take the doors down. As far as security against car rammings you can put nice cement flower pots like the sfardim did on Ocean parkway on their shuls. It’s not intimidating. This message is for klall yisroel. Be mechazek yourselves and your families as well. Let’s begin today.
B”H
Maybe things like this can be avoided if the Gedolim teach what is the derech eretz in a situation where someone expresses an interest in converting to our Religion where a doubt may or may not exists as to their sincerity and/or ability to adhere to our Faith’s tenents. Of course, this is very easy for me to say – as I have no direct information as to how his expression of an intent to convert was handled – and I’m not suggesting that this incident was otherwise avoidable.
FY,
Nice speech, but you can’t ram your car into a building.