NJ Man Pleads Guilty to Ramming Chabad HQ

A 36-year-old man from Carteret, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday to intentionally damaging the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters by repeatedly ramming his car into its entrance during a crowded event in January.

Dan Sohail admitted to the charge before U.S. District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano, resolving the case without a hate crime conviction. Federal prosecutors said Sohail drove from New Jersey to the site at 770 Eastern Parkway on January 28, exited his vehicle, removed protective stanchions, gestured for people to move away, and then accelerated into a side entrance five times, knocking the door off its hinges. The incident caused about $19,000 in damage, which Sohail has agreed to repay. No one was injured among the approximately 2,000 people inside the complex, which includes a synagogue and offices, and police found no weapons in his car.

Sohail faces a maximum of three years in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines recommend zero to six months. He has been jailed since his arrest and has already served more than three months. The judge did not set a sentencing date. Initially, Sohail told police he lost control of the vehicle due...