NY man who struck woman at synagogue insulted Jews, ‘identified as Jewish,’ feds say

NEW YORK — A suspect who allegedly disrupted a Shabbat service at New York City’s Central Synagogue both insulted Jews and “identified as Jewish,” according to a federal criminal complaint released on Tuesday.

Larry Montes, 46, from the Bronx, was charged with hate crimes in a New York City court last week. Tuesday’s complaint added federal hate crime charges against Montes and provided more detail about the incident, but also raised questions about the suspect.

The complaint, filed by an FBI agent investigating the case, said that Montes had been seated in the synagogue’s sanctuary for the Friday night service.

Around nine minutes after the service began, he stood up and began shouting, “You know who the fuck I am,” the complaint said.

He approached the synagogue’s bimah, or stage, and knocked over two ceremonial candlesticks, causing damage.

The head of security at the synagogue wrapped his arms around Montes to physically restrain him and attempted to move Montes to the building lobby.

Montes said, “Fuck you people” and punched a 63-year-old woman in the face, knocking her to the ground and cutting her lip and forearm.

In the synagogue lobby, an NYPD officer arrested and handcuffed Montes. While he was being arrested, Montes shouted a racial slur at a Black security guard employed by the synagogue, headbutted him in the face and spat in his face.

Montes also said that he planned to return to the synagogue.

After his arrest, Montes told NYPD officers, “Fuck the Jews,” and, “I will never affiliate with no filthy fucking synagogues, either here or in fucking Israel.”

Montes told police that he felt disrespected during the service. When asked why, he said, “It’s all a racial thing,” and that it was “all religious motivated.”

He added that he used the racial slur against the Black security guard because he has “racial issues.”

The complaint said that, during his post-arrest interview, “Montes stated that he identified as Jewish,” without elaborating.

Montes’s aunt previously told The New York Post that Montes had a “desire to belong to that religion” and was “mentally traumatized.”

A Facebook account that appeared to belong to Montes included posts supporting Israel and other posts about Judaism, as well as posts critical of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Some Jewish leaders have linked the incident to Mamdani’s repeated broadsides against Israel.

Jews are targeted in hate crimes far more than any other group, and antisemitic hate crimes have increased since Mamdani took office at the beginning of the year.

New York prosecutors previously said that Montes had referred to Jews as “swine.”

Montes was charged in the federal Southern District of New York court with a hate crime against the congregant, a hate crime against the Black security guard, and damage to religious property resulting in bodily injury.

Also Wednesday, Jewish community members and allies held a rally, led by the activist group IMPACT, near the synagogue.

Organizers estimated that more than 120 people attended.

Speakers included community rabbis and Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York governor.

“We have to fight antisemitism. We have to fight the attack on American values,” Blakeman told the crowd. “We need to stand up and say, ‘We will not tolerate attacks on Jewish institutions, on Jewish people.'”