Officials Remember Attack On Jersey City Police Officer, 3 Others

JERSEY CITY, NJ — They were a father of five, a mother of three, a store employee who worked six days a week, and a young student.

Their names were Joe Seals, Leah Mindel Ferencz, Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, and Moshe Deutsch.

State and local officials remembered on Thursday an anti-Semitic act of domestic terrorism a year ago that took the lives of four people in Jersey City while they were going about their jobs.

Leah Mindel Ferencz owned (with her husband) the kosher market where most of the attack occurred. Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, 49, worked at the store. Rabbinical student Moshe Deutsch from Brooklyn was helping the store owners with a project.

Suspects David N. Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50 were killed in the gunfire.

Officials said that Det. Seals was investigating a past murder in the Greenville section of Jersey City when he came upon a suspicious U-Haul and was killed. The alleged shooters then headed to the kosher market. Police later discovered anti-Semitic messages they said were written by Anderson.

It was determined that if not for extensive police work, the suspects could have wreaked havoc on an area five football fields away.

On Thursday, the one-year anniversary of the rampage, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and local police and officials held a commemoration of the attack and a tribute to Seals (see photos above and video here).

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal separately led a virtual discussion Thursday "to reflect on the lessons learned, the policy initiatives to address issues of hate and bias, how law enforcement reports bias incidents and crimes, and what to do if you face discrimination."

Fulop said at the Jersey City ceremony, "Today serves a reminder of the sacrifice and commitment that law enforcement make every single day...to keep everybody else. Joe Seals served as an example of that, perhaps one of the best examples."

A year ago, the New York Times wrote, "The arrival of dozens of Hasidic Jews to the predominantly black neighborhood came with tensions. But the Ferenczes took to their new city eagerly, and their market was a boon to an area lacking kosher food. They had a reputation for being compassionate to employees, including Douglas Miguel Rodriguez."

Last year, a Jersey City school board member said that people should consider the "message" of the shooters. Message Gov. Phil Murphy, Mayor Steven Fulop, and others asked her to resign or apologize, but she did not.

In the last year

In news stories this week, Jersey City officials discussed measures the city has taken to prepare for violence, and Fulop said that the city has hosted community meetings.

Public Safety Director James Shea told the press Thursday, “Absolutely nothing has supported the narrative that tension in the community led to this” particular attack.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Jersey City residents became concerned when they again heard gunshots. In an unrelated incident, a 35-year-old man was killed in a shooting and another was wounded.

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