Bloomfield police release surveillance video of synagogue arson attempt
Bloomfield police released the surveillance video of the man who threw a Molotov cocktail at a local synagogue early Sunday morning.
In the video, the masked man is seen walking up to the front of Temple Ner Tamid at 3:19 a.m., dressed in all black. At 3:20, he is clearly seen holding the bottle in his hand. He then pulls a lighter out of his pocket and lights the cocktail before heaving it at the door of the synagogue and immediately running away at 3:21.
The bottle did not cause any damage to the building. Police responded at 9:30 a.m. after the temple’s head of religious education arrived in the morning and found the broken glass and spilled gasoline.
Police are seeking the public's help in identifying the man in the video. Bloomfield is working with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call the detectives at 973-680-4084 or to email detectives@bloomfieldnjpd.com.
The Essex County sheriff’s Crime Stoppers Program is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.
The Essex County Board of County Commissioners said in a statement: "We denounce the attempt to damage Temple Ner Tamid ... Such disrespect and contempt for the members of our community who worship there reveals an unfounded fear born of bottomless ignorance."
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said his office is also helping with the search for the suspect.
“We are cognizant of the fact that these attacks have occurred while violence continues to erupt in Israel, and while our own nation reckons with violence at home,” Platkin said. “I want to reassure all New Jerseyans — especially our friends and neighbors of the Black community and the Jewish faith — that law enforcement continues to take the appropriate steps to increase our presence around sensitive places so that everyone in our state can worship, love, and live without fear of violence or threat."
Rabbi Marc Katz told The Record on Sunday that the worst was avoided but said anxiety in the congregation has risen.
“My job is also to take care of them and help process this and help them talk to their kids about this and to emphasize that we remain proudly Jewish in light of rising hatred," he said. "If events like this erode our religious identity, then those who seek to hurt us win."
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Sen. Cory Booker condemned the attack Monday.
“Hate has no place in our state," Booker said in a statement. "We cannot ignore the rise in antisemitism or tolerate threats to our religious communities. We must condemn this hate and respond with resolve and determination, taking steps to keep our religious communities safe and stamp out this darkness."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bloomfield NJ synagogue: Video released of attempted arson
