On January 28, 2026, during the Rebbe Rayatz yahrtzeit gathering, Dan Sohail drove a 2012 Honda Accord into the side entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad's world headquarters. Five times. Dozens of people were inside. No one was hurt.
On July 29, U.S. District Judge Eric Vitaliano sentenced Sohail, 36, of Carteret, New Jersey, to six months and one week, essentially time served plus a week. Prosecutors had asked for 14 months. VIN and AP covered the sentencing.
Not a hate crime
Sohail pleaded guilty in May to damaging religious property, which carries a three-year maximum. Earlier state hate-crime charges were dropped. Courthouse News reported that all sides acknowledged his mental illness, not hatred of Jews, drove the attack.
Vitaliano told the government that what it charged was a property crime, not a hate crime, and said he was "somewhat saddened" prosecutors had relied on an early, mistaken hate-crime impression. Chabad spokesman Yaacov Behrman objected to the sentence, JNS reported.
The restitution
AP put restitution at $20,000. VIN reported $19,010. Courthouse News said more than $19,000. We could not confirm the exact figure from court records.
How we reported this: from VIN, JNS, AP via ABC7, Courthouse News, and the Justice Department's May 13 plea release. Tips: [email protected].