Hate Crime in America

A man was taken into police custody after driving a vehicle into the world headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch in Brooklyn on the night of January 28, 2026. Authorities are investigating the attack against the focal point for Chabad communities worldwide as a hate crime. 

The attack happened at 8:45 p.m. in Crown Heights, where Chabad has been headquartered since 1940. Video on social media shows a gray Honda sedan backing into and repeatedly striking basement-level doors at a side entrance of the building. 

Security officers stationed at the site intervened quickly, ordered the driver out of the vehicle, and detained him without incident. 

Emergency responders later inspected the car, and the NYPD Bomb Squad cleared it, finding no explosives or weapons. No injuries were reported, though several doors to the building were damaged.

Witnesses told reporters the driver was wearing shorts despite cold weather conditions and claimed the crash was accidental, a version of events not confirmed by police. Authorities have since said evidence suggests the vehicle was driven intentionally into the building. 

The Anti-Defamation League reports that hate crimes against Jews have surged following the start of the Israel-Hamas war by a record 361%, and sadly this latest attack corroborates those findings.

City officials, including NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, visited the scene following the incident. 

Tisch confirmed the department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating, while Mamdani described the crash as intentional and emphasized that antisemitism has no place in New York City. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James also addressed the incident, noting the symbolic importance of the site and that the crash occurred during a commemoration marking the 75th anniversary of the date Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson became the leader of the Lubavitch movement. 

In response, the NYPD announced increased security around houses of worship across the city.

While charges are pending against Dan Sohail,

law enforcement officials continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, including Sohail’s motives and mental state.

Founded around 250 years ago as a branch of Hasidic Judaism, Chabad-Lubavitch spread throughout Russia and neighboring regions before expanding across the globe. 

Chabad relates Judaism as active and outward-facing, meant to meet Jews where they are rather than requiring them to come to a particular level of observance first. This approach is rooted in the belief that every Jew, regardless of background or practice, has an inherent, unbreakable connection to Jewish life and tradition. Chabad emphasizes warmth, accessibility, and personal responsibility, seeing each mitzvah, or act of kindness, as meaningful on its own, in turn creating a sense of purpose that blends intellectual study, spiritual depth, and practical action in everyday life. 

Today, Chabad maintains a presence in communities around the world, making the attack on its Brooklyn headquarters resonate far beyond its battered doors. #Israel #Chabad #hatecrime #Sohail #Mamdani