Man taken into custody at NYC synagogue after disrupting service, police say
There was a frightening disruption during Shabbat services at a prominent Manhattan synagogue Friday.
It all unfolded just after 6 p.m. as the service was getting started inside Central Synagogue, located on Lexington Avenue near East 55th Street.
A live stream of the service captured the panic as a man is seen shouting while a security guard attempts to restrain and remove him from the building.
"He was screaming and yelling. I heard a loud pop ... We thought it was a gun and people were a little shaken, but the security people were right on it," said Susan Roane, who was attending the service.
"When I saw he wasn't armed, I mean, he was just ranting and raving and yelling. It looked like a maniac. But I wanted to go under cover. I mean, I thought, who the hell knows what he's gonna do?" congregant Arlynn Greenbaum said.
Roane and Greenbaum said they couldn't make out what specifically the man was saying.
"He was very full of hate," Greenbaum said.
According to police, the 46-year-old man was acting irate and struck a 63-year-old woman as he was being escorted out by a security guard. Police say he also spit at and headbutted a member of the security team and damaged synagogue property.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says an NYPD sergeant working a paid detail at the synagogue stepped in and took the man into custody.
Police say the 63-year-old woman suffered a small laceration to her lip and her right forearm was hurt.
Services continued after the man was taken into custody.
"I understand the sanctity of this space and its meaning for congregants. Central Synagogue is where I grew up. In joy and in sorrow, it has always been a place of comfort and peace. What happened there tonight is deeply painful. A place of worship should never be a crime scene," Tisch said in a statement, in part.
"I am horrified by the assault at Central Synagogue during services today. I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city. Every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence. This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe. The alleged perpetrator is in custody and there is no known ongoing threat in or around the synagogue. We are in close contact with the NYPD and will share more information as it becomes available," Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a post on X.
A motive has not been determined, but the Hate Crime Task Force is involved with the active investigation.
Police say there no known known additional threats at this time, and additional NYPD resources have been deployed to the synagogue as a precaution.
