Man who tossed Molotov cocktail at New Jersey synagogue door sought

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — Authorities say they are looking for a man who threw a Molotov cocktail at the front door of a synagogue in New Jersey.

Police in Bloomfield in Essex County said officers responded at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday to a report of property damage at Temple Ner Tamid.

Police said surveillance video revealed that a man had approached the front door of the synagogue shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday with a Molotov cocktail, which he lit and threw at the door. Police said the glass bottle broke but didn’t cause any damage to the temple, and the suspect fled down the driveway.

Synagogue undamaged after Molotov cocktail hurled at temple in New Jersey https://t.co/1HK9h9K9Mn

— UPI.com (@UPI) January 29, 2023

The synagogue is part of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey, which announced the incident without identifying the temple or its location, NJ.com reported. The organization’s president, David Saginaw, was quoted as saying “Thankfully, the device did not work as intended and as such, the damage was limited.”

Police opened an attempted arson and bias incident investigation and are investigating with the aid of Essex County prosecutors, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police released a photo of the masked suspect, who they said is believed to be a Caucasian male.

The New Jersey attorney general’s office said it was aware of the attempted arson and was working with local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend the suspect.