Police in Bergenfield, New Jersey, say a rabbi was assaulted in the suburban town outside New York City yesterday.
The Bergenfield Police Department says the attacker, 40-year-old Jeffrey Zicchinella, was driving when he stopped his car, got out and assaulted the rabbi.
A passerby intervened to help the rabbi, who is identified in local reports as Rabbi Avraham Wein of Congregation Keter Torah in the nearby town of Teaneck.
Both the rabbi and the other resident sustained minor injuries, police say.
The suspect has been charged with two counts of assault and is being held in the county jail.
Police say the attack appears to be an isolated incident, but have increased patrols around synagogues.
The town says in an announcement that the suspect is not a resident of Bergenfield, about a 20-minute drive northwest of Manhattan.
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