NY man who killed Jewish writer in car crash charged with vandalizing kosher shop

A New York man has been arraigned on hate crime charges for allegedly vandalizing a kosher bagel shop, weeks after being indicted for manslaughter in the death of a Jewish journalist. Dawood Faisal, 22, faces charges including criminal mischief as a hate crime for incidents that occurred in May at Bagels & Co. in Queens.

According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Faisal upended plant stands outside the shop on two separate occasions. On May 15, he overturned nine plant stands, spilling dirt and plants, and then threw dirt at the business. A week later, he knocked over 11 more plant stands, emptied their contents onto the sidewalk, and ripped plants from their pots.

Faisal was charged with criminal mischief in the third and fourth degrees, both as hate crimes, and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. The motive for the vandalism is believed to be antisemitic.

This case follows a separate incident in June where Faisal was indicted on manslaughter, assault, and other charges related to a fatal car crash. In that incident, Faisal was allegedly speeding through red lights and collided with other vehicles, one of which struck and killed 71-year-old Cara Trager. Trager was a well-known journalist and a respected member of the Jewish community.

Authorities have stated there does not appear to be a direct connection between the car crash and the shop vandalism. The Times of Israel reported that Jews are disproportionately targeted by hate crimes in New York City.