New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch hold a press conference at the scene where a car slammed into the entrance of the headquarters of a Jewish religious order, the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Madison Swart
(New York, NY) – A man is now facing hate crime charges for ramming his car into a Jewish center. The New Jersey man is facing a slew of charges in connection to the attack Wednesday night. Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters is the gathering site of a traditional Hasidic Jewish sect of followers. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is now facing pressure from Jewish groups to stop talking about condemning hate, and start doing something about bad actors.
Chabad Attack Shakes Jewish Population
Cell phone footage captured the chaos outside of the Chabad on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Dan Sohail, 36, was caught ramming his sedan into the front doors of the building as people were praying inside. When he got out of the car, wearing shorts in the icy temperatures, he claimed the vehicle “slipped” to crowds gathering around the scene. Sohail has a history of previous interactions with Jewish centers. According to CBS News, cops responded to a disturbance call outside a South Brunswick Chabad where Sohail told cops he was trying to convert. Two weeks ago, video shows Sohail dancing with yeshiva students at the same Chabad in Crown Heights.
Watch as @nypdpc and @nycmayor provide an update on an ongoing investigation in Brooklyn. https://t.co/b60lYfP2mc
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 29, 2026
City Efforts to Combat Hate
Less than 24 hours after the attack Wednesday night, the City Council is responding with a new task force. City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced a bi-partisan group to fight antisemitic hate. The Jewish Caucus elected Democrat Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Republican Council Member Inna Vernikov to lead the group. Vernikov has been a vocal critic of the Mayor and says that while she appreciates him condemning antisemitism, she told City & State she wants to see Mamdani now take action. Meanwhile, Speaker Menin is proposing, through new legislation, 100-foot buffer zones for protests outside of synagogues and other houses of worship.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, director of media for Chabad, was on 77WABC’s Cats and Cosby, where he pushed for unity
Mayor Mamdani Under Growing Pressure
Mayor Mamdani first faced allegations of antisemitism on the campaign trail over his previous pro-Palestinian activism. Following the latest attack, those allegations came up once again as questions swirl over how the city will respond. In a statement put out shortly after news broke of the attack, Mamdani says the incident is “horrifying” and “deeply alarming”. In a television interview the day after the attack, Mamdani revealed he is in the final round of interviews for the head position in the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism. The office, created by former Mayor Eric Adams last year, is in charge of monitoring court cases, legislation and reported incidents of hate.
I am at 770 Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, where a man intentionally, and repeatedly, crashed his car into the building. I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident.
This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 29, 2026
