- Dan Sohail, 36, of Carteret, N.J., was sentenced in federal court to six months and one week in prison after pleading guilty to intentionally damaging religious property by repeatedly ramming his vehicle into the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn on Jan. 28. Judge Eric N. Vitaliano also ordered him to pay $20,000 in restitution.
- According to the article, Sohail drove his car into the building’s side entrance five times, knocking the door off its hinges and destroying the vehicle’s front bumper. No one was injured, and the judge noted that Sohail had motioned for nearby pedestrians to move away before carrying out the attack.
- Prosecutors sought a longer sentence, citing the rise in antisemitic hate crimes in New York City and the need for deterrence. However, Judge Vitaliano said the case had initially been viewed as a hate crime before prosecutors ultimately charged Sohail with intentionally damaging religious property, and he concluded that Sohail’s documented mental health challenges played “an important role” in the offense.
Antisemitism