People watch the scene where a car slammed into the entrance of the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters, Jan. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to repeatedly ramming his car into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in New York City, telling a judge he did so because he was intent on damaging the Jewish landmark.
Dan Sohail, 36, plowed an entrance to the packed Brooklyn synagogue with his car five consecutive times in January after clearing away stanchions and urging people to move out of the way, federal prosecutors said. He caused about $19,000 in damage, which he must repay.
Sohail, of Carteret, New Jersey, resolved the case without a hate crime conviction, pleading guilty to a charge of intentionally damaging religious property. He faces a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison, but federal sentencing guidelines call for up to six months in prison, prosecutors and Sohail’s defense lawyer, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, said.
Vitaliano did not set a date for sentencing. Jailed since his arrest, Sohail has already served more than three months behind bars.
