Man arrested after car ramming at Chabad world headquarters in New York

A driver has been arrested after repeatedly ramming his car into the entrance to Chabad’s international headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, with the individual understood to have previously trespassed on the premises.

770 Eastern Parkway, informally known simply as ‘770’, was evacuated in the wake of the incident, which happened on Wednesday evening, as thousands of members of the Lubavitch Chassidic sect converged on the building to mark 75 years since the Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson officially became the 7th  Lubavitcher Rebbe. No one was injured, and the driver of the Honda Accord sedan, who has not yet been named, was subsequently taken into custody by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Posting on Twitter/X, Chabad public relations officer Yaacov Behrman, wrote: “A car just drove into the side doors of 770 at Chabad Headquarters. Baruch Hashem, there are no injuries. Witnesses report the driver yelled for people to move as he drove in. It appears intentional. The synagogue has been evacuated as a precaution. Please stay away from the area while authorities ensure there are no additional threats. Driver was arrested.”

Behrman added that the individual “had previously trespassed at a Chabad house in New Jersey, where police were called and he was removed. At this time, there is no evidence linking the individual to any terrorist organisations.”

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the attack “intentional”, adding that “antisemitism has no place in our city.”

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said: “I unequivocally condemn the reprehensible car-ramming attack targeting Chabad World HQ in NY. Chabad is a pillar of Jewish community in America. The poisonous hatred of antisemitism is pure evil. This cancerous bigotry towards Jewish people today is towards Christians tomorrow.”-

Chabad has increasingly been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories, and due to the public-facing nature of its international outreach programme, Chabad houses and events have been among those most regularly targeted by antisemitic attacks. The December terror attack on Bondi beach targeted a public Chanukah candle lighting ceremony organised by the local branch of Chabad, with several of the movement’s rabbi’s killed during the attack.