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NYPD Arrests Larry Montes in Central Synagogue Hate Assault

8/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

NYPD arrested Larry Montes, 46, on August 15, 2026, for a hate-crime assault at Central Synagogue.
He faces 14 charges, including two hate-crime assaults and one hate-crime criminal mischief.
A 63-year-old woman suffered only a small lip cut.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the act despicable, pledged resources, and cited Senator Chuck Schumer’s warning that antisemitism is rising, with 205 antisemitic hate crimes, two-thirds of 360 hate crimes.

History

Historical Context

On 9–10 November 1938, Nazi SA, SS and Hitler Youth smashed over 1,400 synagogues and arrested roughly 30,000 Jewish men in Kristallnacht, shifting persecution to state-sanctioned violence. The recent vandalism of New York’s Central Synagogue by Larry Montes, stopped by NYPD officers and condemned by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, echoes that historic pattern of antisemitic attacks.

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Story summary

NYPD arrested Larry Montes, 46, on August 15, 2026, for a hate-crime assault at Central Synagogue.
He faces 14 charges, including two hate-crime assaults and one hate-crime criminal mischief.
A 63-year-old woman suffered only a small lip cut.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the act despicable, pledged resources, and cited Senator Chuck Schumer’s warning that antisemitism is rising, with 205 antisemitic hate crimes, two-thirds of 360 hate crimes.

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