NYC Synagogues And Museum Receive Fake Bomb Threats, New York Officials Confirm

New York City officials confirm that at least four synagogues and a museum in Manhattan and Brooklyn received bomb threats on Saturday. However, none of these threats were deemed credible by the New York Police Department.

Police report that all of the targeted locations received emails indicating the presence of explosives either within the buildings or nearby, reported CBS News.

Of the bomb threats, three were targeted at Congregation Rodeph Sholom on W. 83rd, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah on West 30th Street, and Chabad of Midtown on 5th Av & 43rd. The email sent to the Brooklyn Museum included threats to blow up the Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum subway station.

Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine said on X the bomb threats were "a clear hate crime, and part of a growing trend of 'swatting' incidents targeting Jewish institutions."

According to the New York Post, the threats prompted the evacuations of at least two Manhattan synagogues.

The New York Police Department is actively investigating all incidents. In a post on social media platform X, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated, "We are actively monitoring a number of bomb threats at synagogues in New York. Threats have been determined not to be credible, but we will not tolerate individuals sowing fear & antisemitism. Those responsible must be held accountable for their despicable actions."

Earlier, in November, an inactive grenade was discovered at Holocaust Memorial Park in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, while a fake bomb threat was phoned into Central Synagogue in Midtown Manhattan, causing disruption to Shabbat services. The Anti-Defamation League reported last month that incidents of assault, vandalism, and harassment targeting Jewish individuals in the U.S. more than doubled last year, reaching a record high. This surge in anti-Jewish sentiment followed the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.