The man caught on video ramming his car into the entrance of the Chabad World Headquarters in Brooklyn was trying to convert to Judaism — and struggles with mental illness, his stunned father told the Daily News Thursday.
Dan Sohail was seen by witnesses lurking around outside the Eastern Parkway house of worship in a T-shirt, open hoodie, and shorts for a brief time before allegedly getting into his 2012 Honda Accord and ramming a building entrance at about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, police sources said.
Sohail’s mother is Catholic, relatives said. His father, Majid Sohail, is from Pakistan but hasn’t seen his estranged son in five years. Dan had recently told his grandmother he wanted to convert to Judaism, Majid learned from relatives after the Wednesday incident made headlines.
“He was talking to his grandma,” Majid, 61, told the Daily News. “He said, ‘I’m converting into Jewish.’ … He can pick and choose whatever he wants, you know? We don’t have any issue.”
Dan Sohail had visited the Chabad movement’s international headquarters in Crown Heights at least once before, police sources said.
Video surfacing online Thursday shows Sohail dancing inside the Chabad headquarters two weeks ago, according to Yeshiva World News. At the time, he was wearing the same clothes he was arrested in on Wednesday night.
Majid learned about his son’s arrest Thursday morning when one of his other sons called him.
“(He said) ‘Dad, Mom called me and I have this bad news. Did you hear?’” Majid recalled. “I said, ‘No I don’t,’ and he told me, he described it to me, (that Dan was) involved in a hate crime.”
“I said ‘I don’t think so,’” Majid said. “It’s not the same Dan.’”
Word of his son’s arrest left him stunned.
“It is very, very sad,” he said. “We have very good friendship, relationship with the Jews. I’ve always lived in the Jewish neighborhood. They are very cool, calm. It’s shocking. It’s shocking.”
“Mostly 95% his friends are Christian,” he added. “We do not have this kind of issues.”
Dan remained in custody at the 71st Precinct stationhouse Thursday morning, cops said. Cops were working with prosecutors to determine what charges are appropriate.
The suspect has no criminal record in New York, officials said. He lives in Cateret, N.J. and had driven into New York City three times since the beginning of December, most recently on Jan. 16, police sources said.
“He had mental problems. He have some kind of depression,” the suspect’s father said. “I’m broken hearted by this situation. The lucky part, nobody is hurt. Thank God nobody’s hurt.”
Video posted online by Kol Haolam News shows the Honda sedan backing up and then driving into the pair of double doors at least five times, knocking one door off its hinges.
When the driver finally emerges from the vehicle he can be heard shouting, “I f—ing slipped, you a–hole!”
The video ends as two police officers handcuff the driver and lead him away from his vehicle.
“At first I thought he was trying to park,” said witness Avrohom Pink. “He pulled in and started ramming the doors over and over again.”
As he repeatedly struck the building with his car, the driver warned pedestrians to stand clear, Pink said.
“He was yelling for people to get out of the way,“ said Pink. “I don’t think he was trying to hurt anyone. I don’t understand why anyone would try to destroy our building.”
Fearing that this was a possible terror attack, everyone was ordered out of Chabad headquarters and the area was roped off so the NYPD Bomb Squad could check to see if the car had any explosives. None were found.
“We’re grateful to the authorities for their rapid response,” said Chabad spokesman Motti Seligson. “They have the individual in custody, now we’re waiting to hear about their motivation.”
Mayor Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, speaking at Chabad headquarters late Wednesday, said the incident was being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Out of an abundance of caution, Tisch ordered the department to beef up security around houses of worship in the five boroughs in case of copy cat attackers.
“You will see an enhanced uniformed presence, specialized patrols, counterterrorism resources and bomb squad deployment where appropriate,” she said during the press conference.
Lubavitchers across the globe had gathered at the Chabad world headquarters Wednesday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the installation of Rebbe Menachem Schneerson as leader of the movement.
Mamdani called the incident “deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning of the institution to so many in New York and around the world. And on today of all days.”
With Kerry Burke
