NYC man arrested on hate crime charges for vandalizing synagogues as antisemitic incidents remain historically high

Surveillance footage showing a man hurling rocks through the doors and windows of houses of worship in New York City left community leaders on edge. Over the weekend, police arrested a 29-year-old man on hate crime charges in connection with the vandalization of several Bronx synagogues, which included the destruction of prayer books. 

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force announced Saturday that they arrested Jordan Burnette, who is from the Bronx, for refusing to cooperate with officers and provide proper identification after he was stopped for riding a bicycle against the flow of traffic. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Burnette smashing a van windshield with a rock ahead of his encounter with police.  Further investigation connected Burnette to several vandalism incidents at Jewish houses of worship. A caretaker at Adath Israel of Riverdale told police that a bicycle stolen from the synagogue's shed matched the one Burnette was riding when he was stopped by officers.