WOODLAND PARK N.J. – A suspect has been arrested in what authorities are calling the “attempted firebombing” of a Bloomfield, New Jersey synagogue, marking the latest incident in recurring attacks and threats against Jewish houses of worship, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Working from surveillance video of a man in a dark-colored hoodie lobbing a lit Molotov cocktail against the façade of Temple Ner Tamid at 3:19 a.m. on Sunday morning, authorities checked license plate readers that identified the vehicle of Nicholas Malindretos, 26, of Clifton, New Jersey, about a 15 minute drive north of Bloomfield, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
While executing a search warrant for Malindretos’ vehicle, authorities discovered a hoodie and gloves that matched clothes worn by the attacker in the synagogue’s surveillance video, and observed a man matching the suspect’s description entering a nearby building on surveillance footage, according to a complaint filed by the FBI.
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Malindretos has been charged with attempted use of fire to damage and destroy a building, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
He will make his first appearance in federal court on Thursday. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately reply to a question regarding whether Malindretos has retained an attorney.
“Newark FBI and our law enforcement partners have been working around the clock since Sunday morning,” James E. Dennehy of the FBI said in a statement. “The speed and intensity of this investigation demonstrates our determination and dedication to protecting houses of worship and protecting their congregations.”
Footage of the botched attack showed a masked man approach Temple Ner Tamid, set fire to a glass bottle and toss it at the synagogue’s glass doors. The bottle broke but failed to damage the building before the suspect fled down a driveway.
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Rabbi Marc Katz of Temple Ner Tamid has said recent security upgrades funded by New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, including a shatterproof barrier, may have saved the house of worship. “We were able to avert the worst because the device the person was throwing didn’t make it through the front glass doors,” Katz said during a prior interview.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy visited the temple on Tuesday evening, speaking to members of the press in the building’s lobby after a closed-door session with Jewish leaders, including Katz and Asaf Zamir, consul general of Israel in New York.
“Unfortunately, the amount of antisemitic acts is almost exploding in New Jersey,” Murphy said. “We wanted to be here to say we will not relent, we will have your backs, whether it’s law enforcement, bully pulpit, hardening targets, hiring security, educating kids, fight antisemitism online — whatever it might be, we will be there.”
Staff Writers Hannan Adely and Julia Martin contributed to this story.