Police release new footage of Riverdale synagogue vandal

The harsh vandalism began just after midnight on Friday morning, Chabad of Riverdale and Riverdale Jewish Center of 535 W. 246th Street and 3700 Independence Avenue had both been struck repeatedly with rocks until multiple windows at each location shattered, according to police.

Then on Saturday, the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel and Young Israel of Riverdale of 475 W. 250th Street and 4502 Henry Hudson Parkway East were also targeted and had both windows and doors smashed.

The NYPD released this previous footage of the incident:

That same suspect also broke the windows of three parked cars at 541 W. 239 Street as well, the NYPD reported.

In response to the synagogue attacks, both Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke out against the apparently targeted hate.

In a tweet, de Blasio stated that law enforcement not only has “a solid lead on the vile acts of anti-Semitism in the Bronx,” but will also “take swift action against the perpetrators.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea also visited the crime scenes on Monday.

I was in Riverdale this morning, meeting with religious leaders & visiting the scenes of some of the most recent acts of destruction.

There is no place for hate in NYC — @NYPDHateCrimes detectives are relentlessly investigating every one of these crimes. pic.twitter.com/SpbWESiI8k

— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) April 26, 2021

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. tweeted, “Hate has no place in our community, borough and city. The heinous, anti-Semitic attacks we saw at 4 places of worship in The Bronx will not be tolerated.”

Locally, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, and Councilman Eric Dinowitz released a joint statement condemning the suspect’s actions.

“No one should be attacked or living in fear because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The threat towards synagogues and other Jewish institutions is real and we must treat these issues head on. Jewish people have been the victims of hate crimes and persecution for centuries, and this week’s events are a somber reminder that we must all be vigilant in weeding out antisemitism,” they stated, also urging any members of the public with relevant information to contact the NYPD’s 50th Precinct.

Bronx Borough President candidate Nathalia Fernandez also came out against the attacks.

“These acts are appalling and coincide with a rise in hate crimes across the city. These destructive crimes are not reflective of the all-accepting community I know to exist in Riverdale,” she stated.

“The Bronx has zero-tolerance for any kind of hate; as a borough, we have always accepted every person, regardless of their race, creed, or sexual orientation, because that is what it means to be a community. We must work together to hold the individuals responsible accountable.”

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this individual is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.