US police arrest man suspected of hate crimes against several Bronx synagogues

Arrest comes after perpetrator vandalized 4 houses of worship in Riverdale, stole a bicycle and threw Jewish holy books on the ground

By Ben Sales 2 May 2021, 3:13 pm Edit

New York police officers respond to an attack at one of four synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, April 26, 2021. (NYPD via Twitter)

JTA — A US man has been arrested on hate crimes charges for a string of attacks on synagogues in a Jewish neighborhood of New York City.

Police arrested Jordan Brunette, 29, early Saturday morning in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale, according to ABC7NY, a local TV station. The arrest came after he allegedly broke into a shed at the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, stole a bicycle and threw Jewish holy books on the ground.

Police said Brunette is also the suspect in a string of recent attacks in which someone hurled rocks through windows and glass doors at four Riverdale synagogues, including the one he vandalized Saturday. He’s facing several charges, including burglary as a hate crime.

“I think that this will bring a great sense of relief to that community,” said John Miller, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, according to the New York Post. “Hopefully life will resume back to normal and people will be able to worship without fear.”

A US rabbi inspects the damage at the Chabad of Riverdale synagogue after vandals broke windows of four neighborhood synagogues on April 25, 2021. (Screen capture/News12 Connecticut)

New York’s Bronx neighborhood has a large Jewish population. The synagogues vandalized last week were the Riverdale Jewish Center, Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, Young Israel of Riverdale and Chabad of Riverdale.