New York City authorities have leveled hate crimes charges against a Bronx man arrested on Friday for attacking a woman and a guard during Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan — marking the latest in a wave of antisemitic incidents targeting the world’s largest Jewish community outside Israel.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed that 46-year-old Larry Montes will be prosecuted for assault and criminal mischief as hate crimes, “among other charges,” after police arrested him for striking a woman, damaging property and head-butting a member of the Reform synagogue’s security detail. 

Video from the Upper East Side synagogue’s livestream captured the terrified reaction as a man, whom police have identified as Montes, burst screaming into Friday night Shabbat services before a guard forced him from the premises.

It was during his exit that Montes became physically violent, though victims experienced only minor injuries, Tisch wrote on X.

“I’m relieved that no one was seriously injured. Those who were hurt were evaluated at the scene and are doing well. There are no known additional threats at this time, and additional NYPD resources have been deployed to the synagogue,” Tisch posted, noting her personal connection to the congregation. “Central Synagogue is where I grew up. In joy and in sorrow, it has always been a place of comfort and peace. What happened there tonight is deeply painful. A place of worship should never be a crime scene.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered his own condolences and assurances following the assault.

“I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city,” he wrote in a post on X. “Every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence. This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.”

The arrest comes just weeks after Central Synagogue Rabbi Angela Buchdahl publicly castigated the mayor over a viral video released on his official social media channels denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal.” Buchdahl warned that singling out the Jewish state as “uniquely monstrous” put Jewish New Yorkers in danger.

“You say you want to keep the Jews of New York City safe. But safety is not just about providing extra protection at parades and synagogues. Safety is about creating a climate in which Jews do not need to feel maligned or indicted by the city’s leaders, where we do not need to feel there is a bullseye on our backs,” Buchdahl wrote. “You cannot claim to protect Jews while using the power of your office to make Jewish identity morally tainted and imperiled.”

Days after Mamdani’s video, a Jewish man leaving another Manhattan synagogue was one of two victims of another alleged antisemitic attack, although a link between the mayor’s social media clip and the Upper West Side stabbing has not been established. The incident prompted Jewish civic and political leaders to demand Mamdani tone down his rhetoric about Israel, a call to which he did not respond.

Mamdani, whose anti-Israel activism helped propel him to prominence on the left, faced near-identical calls from a roundtable of rabbis he invited to City Hall on Monday. Among the groups represented at the event was the Union for Reform Judaism, which responded to the attack on Friday by encouraging Congress to pass the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, and highlighting the funding the legislation would provide for enhanced security at synagogues.

“Jewish spiritual practice includes study, prayer and yes, action. Let us double down on all three,” URJ said in a statement.