Authorities in New Jersey are beefing up security around places of worship after a masked man was seen throwing a Molotov cocktail into a synagogue early Sunday morning.
The suspect was filmed throwing the lit bottle at the entrance to the Bloomfield building in Essex County shortly after 3am before fleeing on foot. The glass shattered on impact and caused no damage to the Ner Tamid temple, authorities said.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said his office is helping local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies identify and apprehend the suspect, who in the picture published by the police he was seen wearing a black balaclava, black pants and a black sweater that appears to have a white skull and crossbones on it. The man is believed to be white.
Platkin cited recent acts of violence in Israel to heighten concerns about copycat attacks. A gunman opened fire near a synagogue in East Jerusalem on Friday evening, killing seven people and injuring three others. The attack came a day after nine people were killed in an Israeli military raid in the West Bank. Two more people were killed in Jerusalem on Saturday, police said.
Platkin added that his office is also aware of an attack earlier Saturday on church members in Monmouth County, New Jersey, which he says is being investigated as potentially bias-motivated. He did not identify the church or provide other details.
“I want to assure all New Jersey residents, especially our friends and neighbors of the Black and Jewish faith, that law enforcement agencies continue to take appropriate steps to increase our presence in sensitive locations so that all of the state we can adore, love and live without fear of violence or threats”. he said in a statement.
The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey asked anyone with information to come forward.
“We urge our community leaders and partners to report this outrageous act and ask all communities to remain vigilant, although we have not been notified of additional specific threats against Jewish institutions in New Jersey,” the nonprofit said. said in a statement.
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