Men Throw Fireworks at Rabbis' Homes, Cars in Clarkstown

Clarkstown Police are investigating an act of criminal mischief which occurred in the area of Tarry Hill Drive and Phillips Hill Road in New City.

The two-part incident took place at the homes of two Clarkstown rabbis.

"The potential that it is bias crime cannot be ruled out and if that is found to be the case, I will ensure it is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann. "I met earlier today with Rabbi Morgenstern of Chabad New City and expressed my concern about this incident. Violence and anti-Semitism is abhorrent in any form and will not be tolerated in Clarkstown."

At about 10:45 p.m. Aug. 9, units were dispatched to 1 Tarry Hill Drive. A resident told police that she had heard a loud boom coming from east of her residence. When she went to her window, she saw four white males outside, running west. They were described as being possibly teenagers, with one wearing a pink shirt.

One of the men then threw a firework toward the front of her home. The firework exploded next to a tree in front of the residence and caused the tree to catch fire. The group fled west on Phillips Hill Road.

The New City Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire, police said.

While conducting the investigation, police were approached by another resident of the home who advised of a similar incident which had occurred at a neighboring property. The resident had been at a gathering at 18 Phillips Hill Road when attendees heard a loud boom from the driveway area. Further inspection revealed that a firework had been thrown in between three cars.

That incident was at the home of Rabbi Simcha Morganstern, where about 15 adults and children were gathered.

The cars did not sustain any damage, police said. None of the people at the home on Phillips Hill Road saw the perpetrators. A fragment and partial label of a firework were recovered from the scene and secured as evidence for further processing.

The second incident happened at the home of Rabbi Avremel Kotlartsky. Morganstern is the new Associate Rabbi at Chabad of Rockland in New City and Rabbi Kotlartsky is the Senior Rabbi, said Rockland County Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe.

Wolfe condemned the acts of violence.

“Legitimate policy issues are continually being mixed in with anti-Semitic rhetoric,” Wolfe said in a statement. “I’ve been saying for months that such words eventually turn into hateful, violent actions.”

The Detective Bureau is surveying neighbors and residents, seeking any video surveillance. Patrol officers are also canvassing the neighborhood to look for other eyewitnesses. The department is also increasing high visibility patrol in the area and officials request that anyone with information about this matter to please contact the Clarkstown Police Department Detective Bureau at 845-639-5840.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day called for an aggressive investigation of the apparent hate crime.

“There is no place for hate in our community,” said Day. “We condemn this apparent hate crime in the strongest terms possible.”

He said he has contacted Clarkstown officials to ask them to take every possible action. “I expect an aggressive investigation by the Clarkstown Police Department to determine if this is a hate crime,” he said.

Day said that Commissioner of Human Rights Penny Jennings learned through an email Wednesday afternoon of the incident which involved an incendiary device, possibly firecrackers, being set off at two homes where rabbis live. She immediately contacted the person who sent the email.

“I assured him that the Human Rights Commission will certainly take a public stand against any and all acts of hate,” Jennings said. “It will not be silently condoned.”

Jennings also announced that she will convene a meeting of the county’s Interfaith Council, which was formed to foster greater understanding between the diverse groups that call Rockland home.

“We will work to deepen community relationships based on trust, tolerance and shared goals,” she said.