Police on Wednesday night arrested a New Jersey man they say repeatedly rammed his car into the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, injuring no one but prompting a hate crime investigation, authorities said.
Dan Sohail, 36, was taken into custody at the scene after striking the building five times with his 2012 Honda Accord, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. He was charged Thursday with multiple hate crimes, including attempted assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment.
No injuries were reported, but the incident is being investigated as a hate crime by the department’s hate crime task force in coordination with state and federal partners.
“The hate crime right now is that he basically attacked the Jewish institution,” Kenny said. “This is a synagogue that's clearly marked as a synagogue. He knew it was a synagogue because he attended there previously, so it's a hate crime based on his attack of the Jewish synagogue."
The incident occurred around 8:45 p.m., when NYPD officers assigned to a security detail outside the building at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights heard a commotion at the main entrance, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference late Wednesday.
Kenny said Sohail had recently attended a social event at the synagogue and appeared to be trying to "connect" with the Lubavitch Jewish community. While his motive remains under investigation, police are exploring whether he had attempted to convert to Judaism, authorities said.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators shows Sohail arriving in the area, parking a few blocks away, removing barricades from the synagogue driveway and clearing snow from the entrance before driving into the building.
Kenny said Sohail claimed his foot slipped because he was wearing clunky boots.
Sohail has no criminal history in New York City, but police said they are working with the FBI and New Jersey authorities to investigate other incidents, including one in which he allegedly trespassed at a Chabad house there.
Tisch said officers saw the car hit the rear doors of the headquarters before reversing and striking them again. They ordered Sohail out of the car and arrested him without incident, police said.
The NYPD’s bomb squad searched the vehicle and found no explosives.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD has significantly increased security around houses of worship throughout all five boroughs,” Tisch said. “You will see an enhanced uniformed presence, specialized patrols, counterterrorism resources and bomb-squad deployments where appropriate.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani also addressed reporters outside the synagogue on Wednesday night.
“This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and the history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world,” he said.
Officials said they would provide updates as the investigation continues.
The Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters is widely recognized as the movement’s global anchor. Since the 1940s, the building has served as a synagogue and home to the group’s spiritual leaders, including Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, who helped bring Chabad-Lubavitch to Brooklyn.
Yaacov Behrman, a spokesperson for the headquarters, said in posts on X that the driver shouted for people to move before hitting the building. The synagogue was evacuated as a precaution.
“The individual had previously trespassed at a Chabad house in New Jersey, where police were called and he was removed,” he said. “At this time, there is no evidence linking the individual to any terrorist organizations.”
Video posted to social media shows a dark-colored sedan repeatedly slamming into the building’s wooden doors, damaging them but failing to break through. A crowd can be heard shouting as the driver exits the car and says, “It slipped!”
Bystanders directed officers to the man, who was quickly handcuffed and led away.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said her team is coordinating with the NYPD and stands ready to assist.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division at the U.S. Department of Justice, said she had instructed prosecutors in her office to open a civil rights investigation into the incident.
Sohail's attorney information was not immediately available on Thursday afternoon.
This story has been updated with new information.
