A 36-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with hate crimes after repeatedly ramming his vehicle into the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights.

The suspect, identified as Dan Sohail of Carteret, N.J., deliberately drove a gray Honda sedan into a side entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday evening, reversing and accelerating into the doors multiple times and knocking at least one door off its hinges. No injuries were reported, though the attack occurred as thousands of congregants were gathered inside to mark Yud Shvat, the 75th anniversary of the sixth rebbe taking on the mantle of leadership.

Authorities said Sohail now faces charges that include hate crime enhancements, reflecting investigators’ determination that the attack targeted a Jewish religious institution.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers already stationed at the site heard the crash and quickly intervened, ordering the driver out of the vehicle and taking him into custody without further incident. Mayor Zohran Mamdani also responded to the scene. An NYPD Bomb Squad sweep of the car found no explosives or weapons.

“This was a horrifying incident,” Mamdani said. “I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident at a building that has immense meaning to so many Jewish New Yorkers.”

The case is being handled by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, even as early accounts of the suspect’s background and behavior have introduced questions about motive.

Rabbi Levi Azimov of South Brunswick, N.J., said Sohail had visited his Chabad center multiple times over the past year seeking what he described as spiritual guidance and had also recently attended services at the Crown Heights headquarters. Family members have told police that Sohail has a history of depression and mental illness, according to law enforcement sources.

Eyewitnesses said that as Sohail drove toward the building, he shouted for people to move out of the way, leading some to suggest he may have been attempting to avoid injuring individuals despite the repeated impacts into the building. After his arrest, Sohail told witnesses that his car had “slipped” and cited mechanical issues when speaking with police.

Public officials and community leaders have offered differing interpretations of the attack.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) condemned the incident as a “blatant act of antisemitism,” while Chabad’s social media director, Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, wrote on X that antisemitism “does not appear to be a factor,” pointing instead to the suspect’s mental health struggles and prior interactions with the Chabad community.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)