Man Accused In Hanukkah Attacks Searched For Temples In NJ: Feds

MONSEY, NY — A man accused of attacking people at a Hanukkah celebration had searched online for “Zionist Temples” in Staten Island and New Jersey before the horrific Saturday night incident, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Bail was set at $5 million for Grafton Thomas, who was accused of attacking people at a Hanukkah celebration Saturday night in Monsey, N.Y. Thomas was arraigned in Ramapo Town Court at 11:45 a.m. Sunday on five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. He pleaded not guilty.

Thomas played football for two seasons at William Paterson University in New Jersey, according to ABC7.

The suspect also allegedly traveled in New Jersey before his arrest. After the attack, Thomas fled the scene, and a witness followed him, according to a complaint provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The car crossed the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee to Manhattan at approximately 11:02 p.m.

Ramapo police officials said they are being assisted in their investigation of the violent home invasion by law enforcement partners including the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Police, the NYPD and the FBI.

Thomas, 37, a resident of nearby Greenwood Lake, N.Y., was taken to the Rockland County Jail.

The attack is the latest in a string of anti-Semitic crimes in the region over the past week. Arrests have been made in several of them.

It also comes just weeks after six people were killed in what N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy called a "hate crime" in Jersey City. Read more: 'Hate' Note Reportedly Left By Attacker In Jersey City Killings

The U.S. Attorney's Office said law enforcement searched Thomas's residence and cellphone since the attack. The residence contained handwritten journals with several pages of anti-Semitic references, according to a release from the office.

Thomas's cell phone contained Internet searches dating back to at least November 2019 for terms such as “Zionist Temples” in Staten Island and New Jersey, as well as a webpage visit on the day of the attack to an article titled, “New York To Increase Police Presence After Anti-Semitic Attacks,” the release said.

Hatred Exploding

Early Sunday, Gov. Cuomo called Monsey incident a "hate crime" and "domestic terrorism," adding that it is an example of "an American cancer in the body politic. This is an intolerant time in our country.

"We see anger, we see hatred exploding."

Cuomo was speaking outside the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, in Monsey, about 30 minutes outside of New York City. Police say that Thomas had burst into the home during a celebration of Hanukkah on Saturday night, slashed at people and fled. Four people were stabbed, one is in critical condition. A fifth person was injured during the chaos.

One of the five people injured is Rottenberg's son. All five victims are orthodox Jews, according to officials.

Quick Actions Saved Lives

Late Sunday afternoon, Rottenberg released a statement expressing gratitude to elected officials including Cuomo for his visit as well as to the various police departments that have assisted in the investigation.

"Your quick actions saved lives and led to the capture of the perpetrator," he said. "Though we must all take the precautions that have unfortunately become basic security necessities– locking our shul and school doors and having an emergency preparedness plan – we will forge forward in faith and thanks that we continue to live under G-d's protection."

Praying For Life

Officials tell Patch that he was arrested without incident and had blood on his clothes.

Police say that the attack happened just after 10 p.m. on Saturday. Around 100 people were in the synagogue in the basement of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg celebrating the second-to-last night of Hanukkah when a man walked in and started stabbing people with what, officials say, was either a machete or other long knife.

The man fled and tried to enter Congregation Netzach Yisroel, the synagogue next door to the rabbi's home.

Police say that witnesses said that people inside, hearing the cries from the rabbi's home, locked the doors to the synagogue, preventing the attacker from entering the building.

“I was praying for my life,” a person who was inside the home, Aron Kohn told The New York Times. “He started attacking people right away as soon as he came in the door. We didn’t have time to react at all.”

Blood On His Clothes

Thomas was arrested by 144th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem just after midnight after officers from the 32nd Precinct stopped him.

A witness who had seen Thomas flee in a Nissan Acura was able to give police his license plate. A reader on the George Washington Bridge flagged Thomas's car and officers from the 32nd Precinct were able to stop him.

Thomas' criminal history also includes an arrest for assaulting a police horse. A lawyer representing Thomas at the arraignment said his client had no convictions.

The FBI is seeking a warrant to obtain his online accounts and were scouring digital evidence, the official said. Investigators are also looking into whether he has a history of mental illness

Cuomo, one of many officials from around the region condemning the attacks, said the attack was the 13th in the state in the past three weeks.

"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," he said.

"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."

The NYPD has increased patrols around the city and the FBI is sending agents to Monsey to assist in the investigation.

Patch Editor s Colin Miner and Lanning Taliaferro contributed reporting to this story.