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Bronx Man Arrested For Alleged Vandalism Spree At Riverdale Jewish Centers
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 3, 2021
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 3, 2021
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A Bronx man is facing multiple hate crime charges after waging a weeks-long vandalism spree against four synagogues and Jewish centers, police said.
Jordan Burnette was arrested on Saturday, according to the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force, after he was stopped while riding against traffic on a stolen bike.
Police said that surveillance video linked the 29-year-old to a string of property destruction that had set Riverdale's close-knit Jewish community on edge in recent weeks.
According to the criminal complaint, Burnette is accused of throwing rocks through the windows of four religious institutions — Young Israel of Riverdale Synagogue; Conservative Adath Synagogue; Riverdale Jewish Center; and the Riverdale Jewish Youth Library — since April 21st.
He visited some of the locations twice, and in one instance tossed a trash can into the windshield of an unoccupied Subaru, according to the complaint.
Police also said that Burnette "damaged several religious books" — belonging to the Conservative Adath Synagogue — "by pouring hand sanitizer on them and throwing them into a nearby wooded area." The books were discovered following Burnette's arrest on Saturday.
In a news conference, Deputy Inspector Jessica Corey said that Burnette did not have any prior convictions, and that his motivation was not immediately clear.
He now faces more than 40 criminal counts, including burglary as a hate crime and criminal trespassing as a hate crime.
Bronx Criminal Court Judge Louis Nock initially ordered Burnette held without bail, before later agreeing to grant the defendant supervised release, under the state's new bail laws.
Burnette is due back in court on May 7th. Inquiries to his attorney were not returned.
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riverdale
hate crime
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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