A Bronx man accused of attacking two people inside Central Synagogue in midtown Manhattan while claiming he was God and spewing antisemitic and racist slurs at horrified congregants was hit with additional hate crime charges Wednesday.
Appearing in Manhattan Supreme Court in handcuffs and tan-colored jail clothing, Larry Montes pleaded not guilty to criminal mischief, third-degree assault and attempted assault, all charged as hate crimes — in addition to several misdemeanor offenses, including criminally interfering with religious worship, disrupting a religious service, and aggravated harassment.
The chaotic Aug. 14 incident at Central Synagogue on E. 55th St. near Lexington Ave. during a Sabbath service began when Montes got out of his seat, walked up to the bimah where rabbis read the Torah and invoked a Hebrew phrase that refers to god, yelling out that he was “Hashem” before knocking over and smashing two candleholders valued at more than $7,000, according to the eight-count indictment filed Wednesday.
The 46-year-old’s rampage continued as he walked up the synagogue aisle, shouting antisemitic remarks like “swine” at congregants and assaulting a 63-year-old woman with the back of his hand during a scuffle as security sought to intervene and remove him from the house of worship, according to Manhattan prosecutors. The injured woman suffered cuts on her lip and right arm, court docs detail.
The Mott Haven man, who also faces federal hate crime charges in relation to the disturbing incident and is being held pretrial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, ultimately redirected his ire at a 65-year-old security guard, spitting in his face, headbutting him and calling him an anti-Black slur, according to Bragg’s office.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg condemned the attack and said his office would remain on alert to safeguard Manhattan synagogues with the Jewish High Holidays coming up.
“An attack on a house of worship threatens an entire community’s sense of safety and the sanctity of these community pillars must be protected. I commend the Jewish community for its resilience amid heightened antisemitism, and I wish the victims a full recovery,” the DA said in a statement.
“As the Jewish High Holidays approach, we will remain vigilant alongside the NYPD to protect our synagogues throughout Manhattan.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch echoed the DA’s remarks.
“Our synagogues should be sacred spaces where New Yorkers can worship safely, but Larry Montes violated that sanctity when he disrupted a service at Central Synagogue and assaulted a congregant, as outlined in the indictment,” Tisch said in a statement.
“The NYPD will continue to stand with our Jewish communities and use the full force of this department to investigate hate crimes of any kind.”
At Montes’ criminal court arraignment in August, prosecutors said he told NYPD officers who arrested him that his diatribe was “a religious thing” and that he’d been “acting on instinct.”
A relative of the man told the Daily News last month that Montes’ mental health had taken a plunge following the passing of his grandmother, who raised him, and that he needed help.
“He’s not a racist,” Montes’ cousin, who asked not to be named, said. “He hasn’t been OK after our grandmother passed away … Since he’s been alone, he’s been acting really weird.”