Manhattan Synagogue Attacker Allegedly Called Worshippers 'Swine' and 'Fake Jews' After Violent Rampage

A 46-year-old man accused of storming a Manhattan synagogue during Friday night Shabbat prayers, hurling abuse and physically attacking worshippers, has admitted the assault was religiously motivated, prosecutors told a New York court as the suspect, Larry Montes, was ordered held on bail late Saturday.

A chaotic scene at Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue around 6 p.m. on Friday, when congregants gathered for what should have been a routine service instead found themselves in the middle of a violent rampage. Police and prosecutors say Montes forced his way into the sanctuary, shouted antisemitic slurs and charged towards the front of the synagogue before allegedly smashing religious objects and striking an elderly worshipper.

Larry Montes' Alleged Rampage Inside Central Synagogue

According to Assistant District Attorney Ali Fazal, speaking during the late-night arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, Montes did not attempt to hide his motives once in custody. Prosecutors say he allegedly told police that Jews were 'swine' and 'fake Jews,' and that he had specifically targeted the synagogue because of religion.

'In addition to having animus towards Jewish individuals, the defendant admitted to having racial animus towards black people,' Fazal told the court, adding that Montes said he acted 'on instinct' and that 'he was mad.'

Montes, a Bronx native, is accused of barging into Central Synagogue as the rabbi presided over Shabbat services from the bimah, the raised platform from which prayers are led. Prosecutors say he began screaming and charged towards the front of the sanctuary, cutting through worshippers in the pews.

Once there, Fazal said, Montes allegedly grabbed and hurled two religious candles and their holders, smashing them. Each item is valued at around $10,000, according to prosecutors, who have charged him with criminal mischief as a hate crime over the destruction.

As the rabbi moved to get away, the ADA told the court, Montes 'continued to terrorise the worshippers,' turning his attention to congregants seated nearby. One 63-year-old worshipper was allegedly struck in the face, suffering a cut to her lip and falling to the ground.

Before leaving the building, prosecutors say, Montes then turned on the synagogue's security guard, a 65-year-old African American man who had tried to intervene and shield the ritual objects. Law enforcement sources cited in court proceedings said Montes also shouted 'f–k the Jews' during the melee.

Hate Crime Charges and Bail for Larry Montes

The Manhattan District Attorney's office has charged Montes with two counts of assault as a hate crime, two counts of aggravated harassment and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime. Each of those charges reflects prosecutors' belief that the alleged violence and destruction were driven not just by anger, but specifically by religious and racial bias.

At arraignment, the DA's office pushed for high bail, asking Judge Janice Chen to set it at $50,000 cash and $150,000 in bonds. They pointed to the alleged admissions of religious hatred, the targeting of both Jewish worshippers and a black security guard and what they characterised as prior incidents suggesting a readiness to use threats.

Judge Chen declined to go that far, setting bail instead at $10,000 cash or $30,000 bond. She also granted orders of protection for both the congregants and the security officer, barring Montes from any contact with those he is accused of attacking and from returning to the synagogue.

In court, Montes' public defender sought to blunt the picture of a serially dangerous offender. The lawyer argued that his past encounters with the law amounted to misdemeanours, and said Montes had shown up faithfully to more than 20 court appearances over roughly two years as part of a previous case.

Prosecutors, however, highlighted that criminal history as a sign of escalating behaviour. They cited June 2026 and June 2024 incidents in which Montes allegedly stole headphones from a Best Buy store and 'brandished a knife' when a security guard tried to stop him. Details of the outcome of those earlier cases were not fully aired in court, but they were used by the DA's office to argue for tighter controls now.

Jewish Community on Edge After Alleged Larry Montes Attack

Outside the courtroom, the alleged attack on Central Synagogue has landed heavily in a Jewish community already accustomed to bag checks, armed guards and quiet calculations about where to sit in a sanctuary.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which monitors antisemitism and extremism, called the incident 'not just a crime' but a 'chilling reminder of the vulnerability that has shadowed Jewish life for generations.' In a statement to the New York Post, it added that 'for Jews in New York, the sanctuary of the synagogue is meant to be a refuge, not a place where faith and fear are forced into uneasy proximity.'

Central Synagogue, one of Manhattan's best-known congregations, has not yet released a detailed public account of the evening, and there are still gaps in the picture of precisely how the confrontation unfolded from the first moment Montes entered to the point he was escorted out. So far, the core narrative from the alleged antisemitic insults to the physical assault and smashed ritual items rests on prosecutors' filings, statements made in open court and remarks from law enforcement sources. Nothing has been independently confirmed beyond those official accounts, so some details should be taken with a grain of salt until further evidence is tested in court.

What is not in dispute is that a Friday night service was abruptly transformed into a crime scene, and that one woman left with visible injuries while others, including a security guard in his mid-60s, were placed under the protection of a court order.

Montes is due back in court on 20 August. Until then, the synagogue's regulars are left to weigh the calm language of charging documents against the unsettling reality that, during the most routine moment of their week, someone allegedly walked in, called them 'swine' and tried to break not just their sacred objects, but their sense of safety.