A man has been arrested after deliberately driving a car into the entrance of the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, in an incident that unfolded before shocked witnesses and was recorded on video.
The attack happened around 8.45pm on Wednesday at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. Footage from the scene shows a grey Honda sedan with New Jersey plates reversing and accelerating into a side doorway of the synagogue multiple times, tearing the wooden doors from their frames.
Witnesses said the driver shouted warnings for people to move out of the way as he drove toward the building, prompting community leaders to describe the act as intentional.
A car just drove into the side doors of 770 at Chabad Headquarters. Baruch Hashem, there are no injuries. Witnesses report the driver yelled for people to move as he drove in. It appears intentional. The synagogue has been evacuated as a precaution.
Please stay away from the… pic.twitter.com/ljsoZ0sIE7
— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) January 29, 2026
After the vehicle stopped, the driver got out and was confronted by bystanders. In video shared online, he can be heard angrily claiming the crash was an accident, telling onlookers the car had “slipped,” before police arrived and arrested him.
As a safety measure, the building was evacuated while New York Police Department officers secured the scene. Specialist units, including the Emergency Service Unit and Bomb Squad, examined the vehicle to ensure there were no weapons or explosives.
Police have not released the suspect’s name or indicated a possible motive, and the investigation is ongoing. No injuries were reported.
The building has been the global headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement since 1940 and is considered a significant religious and community site.
A car intentionally drove into the side doors of 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters, in Crown Heights. There are no injuries. Police have the driver in custody and are investigating his motives pic.twitter.com/w9rRAnnAAo
— Rabbi Chanina Sperlin (@ChaninaSperlin) January 29, 2026