A man is under arrest for allegedly attacking a rabbi in New Jersey. 

Bergenfield Police took the 40-year-old suspect into custody after a neighbor broke up the fight by tackling the rabbi's attacker. 

Investigators said the motive for the attack is not yet clear, but noted the rabbi was wearing a yarmulke at the time. 

"We can confirm that the incident did not meet the criteria for a bias or hate crime under the state law, but was rather a random act of violence," Bergenfield Police Chief Mustafa Rabboh said. 

The suspect is a resident of Ridgefield Park, which is about five miles away, and has a lengthy criminal record, police said. The suspect faces assault charges and is being held in the Bergen County jail.

The rabbi and the neighbor who helped out suffered minor injuries. 

"We want peace in our neighborhood"

"Bergenfield is a welcoming and diverse, safe community. So to hear about that, it shook us," Mayor Arvin Amatorio said. 

Neighbors were shocked by the stunning display of violence. 

"This rabbi here is just an awesome individual. Great family, lovely children. Very friendly. And for someone to attack him like that, it's just, I can't find words to articulate, really. Because he's just a decent human being," neighbor Aretha Duncan said. "We want peace in our neighborhood. We just don't want to see this happening again."

Police said there's no ongoing threat to the community, but there will be extra patrols in neighborhoods and near synagogues in Bergenfield as a precaution.