NY police arrest suspect believed to have vandalized four synagogues

Investigators believe a single culprit was responsible for damaging the synagogues that are in close proximity.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Riverdale Jewish Center. (photo credit: JTA ARCHIVE)
Riverdale Jewish Center.
(photo credit: JTA ARCHIVE)
New York police last week arrested a lone suspect in the Bronx for allegedly vandalizing synagogues in the area, ABC News reported.
Jordan Burnette, 29, has been accused of throwing rocks at four synagogues and police released footage of a suspect, believed to be Burnette, walking through the neighborhood. Officials noted that the suspect targeted synagogues between Friday morning and late Saturday.
Burnette is facing multiple charges including burglary as a hate crime. Police stopped Burnette riding his bike into oncoming traffic at 3 a.m. on Saturday, and after refusing to present identification, he was detained for questioning regarding the vandalism spree, as he fitted the description offered by witnesses.
Officers who returned to the area found a van with a broken windshield and after surveying security footage, they saw Burnette vandalizing the vehicle and leaving the parking lot of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, where they found strewn books and a shed that had been broken into.
Officers believe only one suspect is involved, considering the time between the incidents and the proximity of the synagogues to each another.
Riverdale's neighborhood watch has scanned the streets to try and prevent after the incident.
"Even if they catch the guy, which I'm assuming they will, with the cameras and the videos and all the technology that's out there, what's going to happen to him? He'll be out the same day with a slap on the wrist," resident Alan Gotlie told ABC news.


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