Massachusetts man arrested for alleged threats to bomb synagogues, kill congregants
59-year-old suspect left threatening voicemails for two synagogues and a Jewish organization, faces up to 10 years in jail
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man was arrested Monday for allegedly threatening to kill members of the state’s Jewish community and a bomb local synagogues, the US attorney’s office in Boston said.
John Reardon, 59, of Millis, Massachusetts, allegedly called Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Jan. 25 and left a voicemail making several threats to kill congregants and bomb the synagogue, including that “if you can kill the Palestinians, we can kill you,” federal authorities said. Ten minutes later, he allegedly made a call to another local synagogue and a Jewish organization.
Reardon, who had been in the custody of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, has been charged with one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to threaten a person or place with harm via an explosive.
Reardon was scheduled to appear in US District Court in Boston Monday afternoon. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
A number could not be found for Reardon and it wasn’t immediately clear if he has an attorney.
“The allegations here about the series of threats Mr. Reardon made against the Jewish community are deeply disturbing and reflect the increasing torrent of antisemitism across our country and right here in Massachusetts,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. “The numbers do not lie — incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia are spiking.”
Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI, Boston Division, accused Reardon of “using his words as a weapon, leaving a threatening message to frighten members” of Congregation Agudas Achim.
“No one should have to fear becoming the victim of physical violence at the hands of an angry stranger,” Cohen said.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza, there has been a sharp rise in incidents of harassment, antisemitic hate crimes, and claims of bias against Jewish and Muslim communities.
