BROOKLYN — Dan Sohail, 36, of Carteret, New Jersey, was sentenced to time served plus seven days in federal court in Brooklyn on January 29, 2026. US District Judge Eric Vitaliano stated that the case involved a property crime, not a hate crime.

Sohail had pleaded guilty in May to one count of intentionally damaging religious property. The charge carried a maximum sentence of three years, along with fines and restitution, while federal sentencing guidelines for the charge called for zero to six months in prison.

The sentence followed an incident on January 28, 2026, when Sohail drove his car into the Chabad-Lubavitz headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Sohail drove a 2012 Honda Accord into the side entrance of the building five times. The impact knocked the door off its hinges and destroyed the front bumper of Sohail's car.

Dozens of people were inside the building at the time of the incident, but no one was injured. Sohail gestured for congregants to move away from the doors before driving into the entrance. He was arrested at the scene on January 28.

Sohail told authorities he had recently learned he had Jewish heritage and was in the process of converting to Judaism. He told investigators he lost control of the vehicle because of icy conditions and the heavy boots he was wearing. Defense attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg wrote in court filings that Sohail had "desperately sought belonging and understanding through his exploration of Judaism" and that in January, "gripped by mental illness, Mr Sohail irrationally drove his vehicle into the Chabad Headquarters – home of an entity that had welcomed and embraced him, and in which he had sought acceptance".

Sohail's attorneys wrote: "Rather than an act of hate, as it reasonably appeared at first blush, Mr Sohail saw his actions as a desperate call for help." Sohail was initially charged by state prosecutors with hate crimes, but those charges were later dropped. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez dropped the state hate crime charges.

Federal prosecutors urged the court to impose a 14-month prison sentence. They wrote in a sentencing memo: "The defendant's crime did not occur in a vacuum." They wrote: "Instead, the defendant rammed his car into one of the most visible Jewish institutions in the world at a time and in a city where anti-Jewish crimes are surging." They wrote: "The Court’s sentence should send a clear message that attacks on religious people and institutions will be met with stiff punishment."

Judge Vitaliano criticized the Justice Department for seeking a more severe sentence than guidelines called for. He noted Sohail's mental health struggles and said that he needed treatment. Judge Vitaliano said he was "somewhat saddened" to see that the Justice Department wanted him to be influenced at sentencing by a mistaken initial impression among the wider public that the Jan. 28 attack was a hate crime.

Judge he asked: "Fear or favor about what? To proceed notwithstanding what the (people’s) will might be, what the popular understanding might be, what the popular misunderstanding might be?" Judge Vitaliano ordered Sohail to pay restitution for property damage, with reports citing amounts of $19,010, more than $19,000, or $20,000. Judge Vitaliano ordered Sohail to undergo mandatory mental health treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder.

Sohail thanked the judge at the end of the proceeding. He has served approximately six months in custody, consisting of about five months in federal custody and one month in state custody.

The sentencing resolves a case that drew attention due to the location and timing of the crash. The incident occurred during an event marking the anniversary of the death of the Chabad movement's spiritual leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. There has been a near-constant police presence around the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters for years.