Police in Ramapo captured the man responsible for stabbing five people at a Hanukkah celebration at a Rabbi's home in Monsey, New York on Saturday night. The suspect, Thomas Grafton, was driving along the George Washington Bridge into New York City when police identified his license plate on his Nissan Sentra around 11:45 p.m., CNN reported.
Ramapo police arrested Grafton without issue and transported him back upstate.
Over 100 people were gathered at Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg's home for the Hanukkah celebration. He leads the Congregation Netzach Yisroel located next door to his home, USA Today reported. Just before 10 p.m. Grafton allegedly entered the home, right as the Rabbi was "lighting the candle." He then stabbed five people and fled the scene.
Aron Kohn, who was at the party, told CNN the suspect's knife looked "almost like a broomstick."
"Two of the victims were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and three were taken to Westchester Medical Center," USA Today reported. "Cuomo, who said he visited with with the rabbi Sunday morning, said Rottenberg's son was among those wounded and that another person was in critical condition with wounds to the head."
The suspect faces five counts of attempted murder, the Washington Post reported.
During a press conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) declared the attack a "domestic act of terrorism."
"Let me be clear: anti-Semitism and bigotry of any kind are repugnant to our values of inclusion and diversity and we have absolutely zero tolerance for such acts of hate," the governor said in a written statement. "In New York we will always stand up and say with one voice to anyone who wishes to divide and spread fear: you do not represent New York and your actions will not go unpunished."
Cuomo instructed the NY State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate.
This has been the 13th anti-Semitic attack the state has seen over the last few weeks. Rockland County, where the attack took place, has the largest Jewish population per capita of any county in the United States. More than 30 percent of the population in Rockland County are Jewish, the New York State website states.
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