Federal charges filed

Larry Montes, 46, has been charged with federal hate crimes in Manhattan federal court after allegedly attacking a woman and a security guard at Central Synagogue during Shabbat services, prosecutors said. Montes, who is already facing state-level hate crime charges, is charged with two counts of committing hate crimes and one count of damage to religious property resulting in bodily injury.

The alleged attack took place after 6 p.m. as Shabbat services were getting started. According to the criminal complaint, Montes, who was sitting in one of the synagogue's seating rows, stood up about nine minutes into the service and shouted, "You know who the fuck I am!" He then allegedly went to the stage and struck two ceremonial silver candlesticks with gold accents, causing them to fall to the ground. Both candlestick bases were bent and some accents were damaged.

When the synagogue's head of security tried to remove him, Montes allegedly said "fuck you people" and "I don't fuck with you people." He is accused of spitting at and head-butting a security team member, who is Black, and using a racial slur against him. The 63-year-old woman who was struck suffered a cut on her lip and a forearm injury.

An NYPD sergeant assigned to Central Synagogue intervened immediately and arrested Montes, authorities said. The attack was visible on a livestream of the service, which showed a man yelling as a security guard tried to restrain him.

In a post-arrest interview, Montes allegedly said "fuck the Jews … it's racial" and "I will never affiliate with no filthy fucking synagogues, either here or in fucking Israel." He also said he felt disrespected and "got up, start[ed] some shit, [and] smacked somebody around." When asked why he used a racial slur, Montes allegedly said, "Listen, I have racial issues."

Community response

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch spoke at Central Synagogue during the Shabbat service following the attack, telling congregants, "I stand with you." She described the attack as part of a "broader pattern" of bias attacks against Jews in New York City and around the world. Tisch, who described herself as "a proud Jew and a lifelong member of this congregation," noted that Jews make up only 10% of the city's population but are targeted in roughly half of all hate crimes in New York City.

"Those numbers are staggering, but sometimes the data can be just that, numbers on a page, abstract, at a distance," she said. "What happened here last Friday brought that hatred inside the doors of this synagogue."

Tisch said the NYPD has been tracking attacks against Jewish victims globally since October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other terrorist groups attacked Israel. "Since October 7, hate has ricocheted across the globe, and the Jewish community has been targeted again and again," she said. "We have watched rhetoric shift from slogans to direct calls for violence."

She warned that violence against Jews abroad could inspire attacks closer to home. "Every high-profile attack raises the risk of another. Individuals already on the edge do not always need instructions. Sometimes, all they need is a spark," she said. "That is why we take threats seriously, and why we work aggressively to intervene before hatred becomes violence."

Tisch reassured the congregation that the NYPD is doing everything in its power to safeguard Jewish New Yorkers, including having precinct commanders and community affairs officers in contact with synagogues and yeshivas. The congregation gave her a standing ovation, with Facebook livestream comments including "Yasher Koach Madame Commissioner."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was "horrified" by the incident and pledged to use all tools at his disposal to confront antisemitism.

Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement, "An attack on a house of worship is an attack on the fundamental right to practice one's faith safely." Tisch also commented, saying she is "grateful that an NYPD sergeant was there to take him into custody."

Victim Michele Anaberg-Poma posted on Instagram, "You will not punch out our Jewish light." Montes faces up to 20 years in prison on the federal charges. Contact information for his attorney was not immediately available.

Perspectives

NYPD and city officials: Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Zohran Mamdani framed the attack as part of a broader pattern of antisemitic violence, emphasizing the NYPD's efforts to protect Jewish New Yorkers and promising to use all available tools to confront hate crimes.

Federal prosecutors: Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald highlighted the significance of the attack on a house of worship, underscoring the federal government's commitment to prosecuting such crimes.