NY - 5 stabbed at Hanukkah celebration in Rabbi's home, Monsey, 28 Dec 2019 *Arrest*

[dotr]

5 stabbed at Hanukkah celebration in rabbi's New York home
"MONSEY, N.Y. — As people gathered at a rabbi’s home north of New York City to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah, police said a man stabbed and wounded five before fleeing in a vehicle.

The Saturday night stabbings come on the heels of a string of attacks targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey earlier this month. The rabbi’s home is in Monsey, a town not far from the New Jersey state line and one of several in the Hudson Valley that has seen an influx of Hasidic Jews in recent years. The Rockland County town is about 35 miles (56 kilometres) north of New York City.

Police said the stabbings happened at around 10 p.m. Hours later, Brad Weidel, the police chief for the town of Ramapo, which covers Monsey, said that New York City police had located a vehicle and a possible suspect sought in connection with the attack. The NYPD hadn’t confirmed whether anyone was in custody as of early Sunday morning. Authorities did not immediately provide a motive for the attack.

Five people were hospitalized, Weidel said. The extent of their injuries weren’t immediately clear."

 

[dotr]

.

Monsey stabbing: 5 people were stabbed at a Hanukkah celebration in a New York suburb - CNN
"(CNN)A man walked into a rabbi's home during a Hanukkah celebration in a New York suburb Saturday night and began stabbing people, witnesses say. Five victims were taken to nearby hospitals, according to police.

The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley Region said in a tweet that victims inside the Monsey residence were Hasidic Jews. Two people are in critical condition, co-founder of the council, Yossi Gestetner, told CNN.
The attacker pulled out a knife that was "almost like a broomstick," said Aron Kohn, who attended the Hanukkah celebration.
Kohn said there were at least 100 people in the home at that time, as the rabbi was "lighting the candle" on the seventh night of Hanukkah
Aron Kohn
Kohn added that the suspect tried to run into a nearby synagogue, but someone closed the doors.
Rockland County -- where the stabbing took place -- has the largest Jewish population per capita of any US county, according to New York state. More than 30% of its residents are Jewish.
Officials are still working an active crime scene, Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said in a news conference.
He said a suspect, described as a tall black man, was apprehended by police."

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Monsey Hanukkah Stabbing: 5 Wounded at Rabbi’s Home in N.Y. Suburb

 

[Elley Mae]

Grafton Thomas

The suspect in the Monsey has been named as Thomas E. Grafton, 37, of Greenwood Lake, NY.

Grafton Thomas: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

.....

THE MONSEY STABBING SUSPECT: Thomas E. Grafton Of Greenwood Lake, NY

THE MONSEY STABBING SUSPECT: Thomas E. Grafton Of Greenwood Lake, NY | The Yeshiva World

.....

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the attack “act of domestic terrorism” Sunday morning and has vowed to make changes to state law to strengthen prosecution against such acts.

https://nypost.com/2019/12/29/rockland-county-stabbing-thomas-grafton-identified-as-suspect/

.....

 

[dotr]

THE MONSEY STABBING SUSPECT: Thomas E. Grafton Of Greenwood Lake, NY - The Yeshiva World

"The suspect in the Monsey has been named as Thomas E. Grafton, 37, of Greenwood Lake, NY.
He was apprehended with “blood all over him.”
The Ramapo Police Chief announced that he will be charged with 5 counts of attempted murder and burglary.
He’s being held in Ramapo and will be arraigned today.
Law-enforcement sources say Grafton has several previous arrests on his record, including one for punching a police horse."

"Last night, a keen eye & quick response by @NYPD32Pct cops led to the apprehension of a suspect wanted in connection with the horrific attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey.
Outstanding work by Officers Radziwon & Mattera.

 

[dotr]

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Several arrests, including punching a police horse??? Should have been locked away a long time ago before he got to stab several people in a hate crime/act of domestic terrorism.

 

[Falling Down]

Far right network orchestrated synagogue attacks, FBI says

The complaint further alleges that through “online platforms and encrypted online messaging applications and chat rooms”, the group had discussed “the recruitment of prospective members, the creation of a white ethno-state, acts of violence against minorities (including African-Americans and Jewish-Americans) … military training camps, and ways to make improvised explosive devices (‘IED’)”.

According to the complaint, under questioning Tobin admitted that he had organized the vandalism, his membership of the group, claimed that he had considered “suicide-by-cop” and suicide bombings, and had said that it would be “pretty straightforward” to carry out a bombing like Timothy McVeigh’s in Oklahoma City in 1995.

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NJ man allegedly wanted to 'let loose' with machete on African Americans in Edison mall

This post has nothing to do with the attack in Rockland County.

 

[Elley Mae]

This post has nothing to do with the attack in Rockland County.

Anti semitism
Hate

 

[Elley Mae]

“He’s not a terrorist he’s a loving loving man, with a lot of creativity and just a wonderful spirit,” Collins added.

https://nypost.com/2019/12/29/monse...-mentally-ill-not-a-terrorist-family-friends/


.....

 

[Reasonable & Just]

“He’s not a terrorist he’s a loving loving man, with a lot of creativity and just a wonderful spirit,” Collins added.

https://nypost.com/2019/12/29/monse...-mentally-ill-not-a-terrorist-family-friends/


.....

I guess we often see this with family and loved ones, but no...a guy who punches horses and stabs people is definitely not "loving, loving".

 

[GordianKnot]

Anti semitism
Hate

Anti semitism is very, very real, and it's very, very wrong.

This despicable attack was almost certainly a hate crime.

However, your post was misleading.

Let's be very clear: This crime has nothing to do with the white supremacist group in that article you linked.

Black men typically do not affliliate themselves with groups attempting to create a white ethno-state.

So there's that.

JMO.

 

[cobalt sky]

You are correct about it being not connected to this crime, but maybe we can assume the best of fellow posters, at the close of this decade full of conflict and hate crimes. Maybe a more general connection to hate was being made, as they have said themselves. Kindness begins with us. A peaceful 2020 begins with the people we talk to. JMO.

Except that there is no evidence as of yet that I could find in MSM that this is any kind of hate crime. Family claims that he is mentally ill, maybe that is the truth. Maybe he targeted them for another reason, or for no specific reason at all. We will just have to wait and see if any more information comes out as to whether this is indeed a hate crime or not.

Meanwhile, adding more unrelated hate crime posts to a thread about a crime that hasn't yet been proven to be an actual hate crime does nothing at all to diffuse the flames of hate.

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

Police said looking at link between Monsey machete attack and previous stabbing

Not sure if Nov. 20 attack was reported here at WS

 

[Eloise]

Except that there is no evidence as of yet that I could find in MSM that this is any kind of hate crime. Family claims that he is mentally ill, maybe that is the truth. Maybe he targeted them for another reason, or for no specific reason at all. We will just have to wait and see if any more information comes out as to whether this is indeed a hate crime or not.

Meanwhile, adding more unrelated hate crime posts to a thread about a crime that hasn't yet been proven to be an actual hate crime does nothing at all to diffuse the flames of hate.

Agreed, very much. Of course, if the victims of such an attack are Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah, you have to consider a hate crime as a possibility. But it could also be random, and they could just have been targeted as they were a group of people. Or it's mental illness, and there was little to no thought about the victims in any way. Certainly, it's unlikely a black man is a white supremacist, but at this point I think anything is possible. It's good to keep an open mind until all facts are known

 

[dotr]

5 stabbed at Hanukkah celebration in latest attack on Jews
"Thomas, 37, was arraigned Sunday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Bail was set at $5 million and he remains jailed. He didn't answer questions as authorities escorted him to a waiting vehicle.

Thomas' criminal history includes an arrest for assaulting a police horse, according to an official briefed on the investigation who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A lawyer representing Thomas at the arraignment said he had no convictions.

The Greenwood Lake street where Thomas lived with his mother, about 20 miles from Monsey, was blocked with police tape Sunday as FBI agents and police officers carried items from their home.

The FBI is seeking a warrant to obtain his online accounts and were scouring digital evidence, the official said. They are also looking into his mental health history.

The family's pastor, the Rev. Wendy Paige, said Thomas has been suffering from mental illness and that his family believes that condition was the cause of the alleged stabbings -- not hatred toward Jewish people. She said his family is sorry for the pain he has caused."

"Thomas played football for two seasons at William Paterson University in New Jersey."
rbbm.

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

5 stabbed at Hanukkah celebration in latest attack on Jews
"Thomas, 37, was arraigned Sunday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Bail was set at $5 million and he remains jailed. He didn't answer questions as authorities escorted him to a waiting vehicle.

Thomas' criminal history includes an arrest for assaulting a police horse, according to an official briefed on the investigation who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A lawyer representing Thomas at the arraignment said he had no convictions.

The Greenwood Lake street where Thomas lived with his mother, about 20 miles from Monsey, was blocked with police tape Sunday as FBI agents and police officers carried items from their home.

The FBI is seeking a warrant to obtain his online accounts and were scouring digital evidence, the official said. They are also looking into his mental health history.

The family's pastor, the Rev. Wendy Paige, said Thomas has been suffering from mental illness and that his family believes that condition was the cause of the alleged stabbings -- not hatred toward Jewish people. She said his family is sorry for the pain he has caused."

"Thomas played football for two seasons at William Paterson University in New Jersey."
rbbm.

BBM
Well, well.
Moo.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

BBM
Well, well.
Moo.

Sorry, not following...why is her name significant? I did a quick Google and didn't see much.

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

Sorry, not following...why is her name significant? I did a quick Google and didn't see much.

I suppose it could be coincidence, but considering certain comments made following the Dec 10 shooting in the kosher market, this pastor's last name threw me for a loop.
ETA: I have not found anything to connect the two, therefore I will concede it is coincidental. Moo.

 

[dotr]

Feb 22 2020
Hero in Hanukkah attack declining $20K reward over Zionism | The Star
''WEST NYACK, N.Y. - An Orthodox Jewish man credited as a hero for attacking a knife-wielding man who stabbed five people during a Hanukkah celebration north of New York City is refusing to take a $20,000 reward from established Jewish groups because he considers them Zionists, according to a rabbi who knows him.

Officials with the Jewish Federation and the Anti-Defamation League told The Journal News that they were caught off guard by Josef Gluck’s decision to turn down the reward, the newspaper reported Friday.''

''Gluck is credited with throwing his body in front of the machete-wielding man and using a wooden table to try and stop the Dec. 28 assault in Monsey, the newspaper reported. He then lured the attacker outside and documented the attacker’s license plate number and alerted police.''