Driver accused of ramming into NY Jewish site charged with hate crimes
- - Driver accused of ramming into NY Jewish site charged with hate crimes
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAYJanuary 30, 2026 at 5:17 AM
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The man accused of ramming his car into an internationally recognized headquarters of a traditionalist Jewish sect had recently attempted to connect with the community and was caught on video attending a social gathering at the site, authorities in New York City said Jan. 29.
Dan Sohail, 36, has been charged with attempted assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, and aggravated harassment as hate crimes, according to New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. The charges are based on the fact that Sohail "attacked the Jewish institution" and knew the site was a synagogue, Kenny said.
Sohail is accused of driving into a set of doors at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood on the night of Jan. 28, police said. Video footage shared on social media showed a vehicle with New Jersey license plates driving forward and reversing several times on an icy driveway that led into a side entrance of the building as bystanders watched.
The doors were damaged, but no injuries were reported, according to police. Sohail was taken into custody after the incident, and police said the incident was being investigated as a possible hate crime.
During a news conference on Jan. 29, Kenny said Sohail had attended a social gathering "at this very same location" earlier this month, and noted there was video of the event circulating online.
"We believe that he was in Brooklyn last night to continue his attempt to connect with the Lubavitch Jewish community," Kenny said. "He seemed to be very at home with the Jewish community at the time he was attending that social gathering 10 days ago."
Police are still investigating the motive behind the incident, according to Kenny. He added that the NYPD is working with law enforcement in New Jersey and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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The incident occurred at about 8:46 p.m. local time on Jan. 28 at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, which is commonly referred to as 770, the building's street address. Chabad Lubavitch is a movement within Orthodox, Hasidic Judaism.
The location is also the site of a synagogue, according to Kenny. Officers were already detailed to the synagogue to provide security and crowd control for members of the community who were attending an event at the site.
After being alerted of a "commotion" at the building's main entrance, Kenny said two officers observed a vehicle striking a set of doors, reversing, and striking the doors several more times.
"The synagogue was struck a total of five times," Kenny said. "Officers immediately placed the driver under arrest without incident."
At the time of the incident, Kenny said Sohail was driving a 2012 Honda Accord sedan registered under his name. He added that surveillance footage showed Sohail parking his car a few blocks from the synagogue and walking to the alleyway of the building.
Sohail then removed several blockades from the driveway and cleared snow from a sidewalk before driving into the building, according to Kenny. Kenny said Sohail told police that "his foot slipped" and that he lost control of the car because he was wearing "clunky boots."
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Kenny said Sohail, who resides in Carteret, New Jersey, had "recently connected with the Lubavitch community." He added that Sohail has no criminal history in New York City.
Sohail's father told the New York Daily News on Jan. 29 that his son had been considering converting to Judaism and that he struggles with mental illness.
In an interview with The Forward, a media outlet covering Jewish news, a rabbi in New Jersey said Sohail attended a Purim service at Chabad of South Brunswick in March 2025. Sohail also visited two other times to look for spiritual guidance but did not express interest in converting to Judaism, the media outlet reported.
"I was able to talk to him for a few minutes and see that he’s not exactly stable," Rabbi Levi Azimov told The Forward.
Another rabbi at a Jewish school in Carteret told the media outlet that Sohail visited the school on Jan. 27 for afternoon prayer services but had been "yelling and screaming" after the service.
"He felt that he was not getting any satisfaction from any of the Chabads," Rabbi Eliyahu Teitz told The Forward. "That’s one of the things he was talking about — I went to the Chabad in this place and they let me down, I went to the Chabad in that place and they let me down."
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The incident occurred on the 75th anniversary of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson becoming the leader of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. Though police said there were currently "no specific or credible threats to synagogues, Jewish sites or any houses of worship," officials increased security at places of worship across the city.
The crash came just a day after city officials said a rabbi was attacked in Queens by a man who made antisemitic comments on Jan. 27, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Hate crimes against Jewish communities have risen in recent years in the United States. Advocates have noted a rise in hate incidents against Jews and Muslims since the start of Israel's war in Gaza after an October 2023 Hamas attack.
Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Jersey man faces hate crime charges in NYC Jewish site crash
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