Queens Man Faces Hate Crime Charges Over Vandalism at Jewish-Owned Bagel Shop

A Kew Gardens–Queens Boulevard-bound Q46 bus pulling up to the stop at the northwest corner of Union Turnpike and Utopia Parkway in Fresh Meadows, Queens, Tdorante10, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 | Jihad Watch

A 22-year-old Queens resident, Dawood Faisal, has been indicted on additional hate crime charges for allegedly vandalizing a Jewish-owned kosher bagel shop on two occasions shortly before a fatal hit-and-run incident that killed a 71-year-old woman, prosecutors announced Monday.

Faisal, from Fresh Meadows, was already in custody facing manslaughter charges in connection with the May 25 death of Cara Trager. The new indictment concerns alleged vandalism at Bagels & Co., a local business displaying Israeli flags and banners. According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the incidents occurred on May 15 and May 23.

Prosecutors allege that during the first incident, shortly after 6:15 p.m. on May 15, Faisal knocked over nine metal plant stands outside the shop before picking up dirt and throwing it at the building. On May 23, he allegedly returned, pushed over and kicked 11 plant stands, scattered dirt outside the premises, and uprooted greenery from a large clay pot before throwing it.

Two days after the second alleged vandalism incident, Faisal was reportedly driving a 2013 Toyota Prius at 75 mph in a 35 mph zone when he ran a red light on Francis Lewis Boulevard and struck Cara Trager and her husband, Michael. While Cara died from the incident, her husband survived.

According to the account of the incident, Faisal fled the scene but crashed his vehicle shortly afterward. Bystanders reportedly detained him until police arrived. In June, he was indicted on manslaughter and assault charges related to the fatal collision.

Michael Trager subsequently launched a campaign seeking to have the fatal hit-and-run investigated and designated as a hate crime, citing the alleged vandalism incidents involving the Jewish-owned business in the days before the collision. He emphasized that the incidents occurred in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.

The additional indictment brings renewed attention to the alleged vandalism and the fatal collision. Prosecutors will need to establish the allegations in court, including whether the shop vandalism was motivated by religious or ethnic bias and whether the incidents were connected to the later crash.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)