Welcome to Arrest Stories. A thirty-six-year-old man was arrested after allegedly ramming his car into a Brooklyn synagogue multiple times during a religious celebration. Here's what may have happened.
On January twenty-eighth, twenty twenty-six, just before nine p.m., Dan Sohail allegedly drove his grey Honda sedan with New Jersey plates into the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters at seven seventy Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. The attack occurred during the Yud Shevat holy celebration with thousands of congregants present inside the building.
Surveillance video shows Sohail parked blocks away from the synagogue earlier that evening, then walked to the building where he removed several metal barricades and cleared snow from the sidewalk. He then returned to his car and drove it down a ramp leading to the doors. Witnesses reported that Sohail yelled at bystanders to move out of the way before repeatedly ramming his Honda sedan into the wooden doors of the headquarters.
According to police reports, Sohail backed up and plowed into the side entrance at least four to five times, knocking the doors off their hinges from the impact. He eventually exited the vehicle and snapped at witnesses who had gathered at the scene.
When officers arrived and questioned Sohail, he told them his foot slipped because he was wearing clunky boots and he lost control of the car. However, when pressed further, he reportedly said, "I dunno, it slipped! It slipped, you f–king a–hole!"
Police discovered that Sohail had previous contact with the Chabad community. He had attended a Purim service at the headquarters in March of last year and visited Chabad of South Brunswick twice more seeking spiritual guidance, though he did not express interest in converting to Judaism.
One witness who spoke with Sohail described him as unstable, stating, "I was able to talk to him for a few minutes and see that he's not exactly stable" and noted he was "yelling and screaming." Another source familiar with Sohail said, "He felt that he was not getting any satisfaction from any of the Chabads."
No explosive devices were found in the vehicle. Police are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.