A New Jersey man, Dan Sohail, 36, who reportedly crashed his car into a prominent synagogue in Brooklyn, is dealing with mental health issues and had expressed a commitment to converting to Judaism prior to the incident. Authorities stated he will still face hate crime charges.
Sohail had made several visits to the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights, exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior. There was one instance where he confronted people at a yeshiva in New Jersey, insisting he was sent by God, according to sources and police reports.
On Wednesday night, dressed in jean shorts and a zip-up sweater despite the cold, he crashed his Honda into the synagogue door at 770 Eastern Parkway five times.
Joseph Kenney, NYPD Chief of Detectives, announced the charges against Sohail, which include attempted assault and criminal mischief as hate crimes. He was awaiting arraignment later that night.
Kenney clarified that this incident is classified as a hate crime because it was an attack on a Jewish organization, highlighting that Sohail had previously attended the synagogue.
However, many within the Chabad-Lubavitch community perceive these actions as irrational rather than anti-Semitic. They view Sohail as someone who, despite his violent outburst, was genuinely searching for a connection within their religious community. Videos posted online show him dancing joyfully at the headquarters just days before the incident.
Kenney mentioned, “It’s still early to draw conclusions, but social media shows him engaging positively with the community shortly before the event.”
Local residents and officials noted that Sohail’s behavior had become increasingly erratic, and he had recently been sleeping in his car parked outside his mother’s home in Carteret.
A regular attendee at the headquarters, Mendy Klein, recalled seeing Sohail a few times and remarked that he appeared to genuinely want to explore Judaism. Though he seemed troubled, Klein didn’t think much of his presence at the synagogue.
“People often come and go here, and it was a welcoming environment. Luckily, no one was harmed,” she added.
Recently, Sohail had traveled to Israel in what seemed to be a sincere effort to embrace Judaism, returning home on January 15. Unfortunately, this was followed by significant signs of mental health decline.
Maria Carrillo, a neighbor and former classmate of Sohail, mentioned he had returned to live with his mother and had been behaving unusually, even sleeping in his car outside their house.
Her husband, Luis, noted that Sohail never seemed harmful until he began talking to himself and exhibited signs of being “out of it.” He commented, “He has always smoked a lot of marijuana and would take unusual amounts of time to respond to simple questions.”
Maria observed Sohail acting strangely, walking back and forth while talking to himself, which prompted her to alert her husband that something was off.
Later, Sohail arrived at Yeshiva Gedora nearby, appearing anxious and claiming that God had sent him, which led to his angry expulsion from the school. Rabbi Eliyahu Taitz recalled how he returned, frustrated and using profanity after students helped dig his car out of the snow.
Just two days prior to the crash, Sohail drove into the Chabad-Lubavitch premises, breaking through a blockade and colliding with the building. After being removed from the vehicle, he claimed he lost control because he was wearing awkward boots.
Sohail’s mother declined to speak with reporters when approached at her home, while his father expressed disbelief at his behavior, emphasizing that their family has never intended to harm anyone, regardless of their background.
“He wasn’t religious at all. From what I gathered, he wanted to embrace Judaism,” the father stated.
