NY man who killed Jewish writer in car crash charged with vandalizing kosher shop

Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.

A New York City district attorney on Friday arraigned a suspect on hate crimes charges for antisemitic vandalism, weeks after the man was indicted on manslaughter charges for the death of a Jewish journalist.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said that Dawood Faisal, 22, had been arraigned on hate crimes charges for destroying property in May at a kosher bagel shop that had Israeli flags outside.

On May 15, Faisal upended nine plant stands outside the shop, Bagels & Co., spilling dirt and plants on the sidewalk in front of the business. He then threw fistfuls of the dirt at the shop, Katz said.

A week later, Faisal knocked over 11 plant stands at the shop, picked up the plant pots, and emptied the pots onto the sidewalk. Some pots were too large to knock over, so he ripped the plants out of them, Katz said.

Neighborhood residents and Jewish community activists rallied at the shop after the vandalism in a show of solidarity.

Faisal was charged with criminal mischief in the third degree as a hate crime, criminal mischief in the fourth degree as a hate crime, criminal mischief in the third degree, and criminal mischief in the fourth degree.

He faces a maximum of seven years in prison if convicted.

In June, Faisal was arraigned for manslaughter, assault and other charges related to a vehicular incident that killed Cara Trager, 71. There did not appear to be a direct connection between the car crash and the vandalization.

While driving, Faisal allegedly sped through two red lights and smashed into two other vehicles. One of the cars he struck veered into a crosswalk, striking Trager and her husband, who was injured, Katz said.

Faisal had been driving more than 75 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone, Katz said.

Faisal attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was apprehended by passersby, Katz said.

Trager was a journalist based in Queens, a beloved member of the Jewish community, and a supporter of local Jewish institutions, such as the Solomon Schechter School of Queens, and the family’s synagogue, Etz Hayim at Hollis Hills Bayside.

Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York City more than all other groups combined.

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