On Tuesday, a man tossed a Molotov cocktail into the Temple Ner Tamid synagogue in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The synagogue includes a pre-school and K-12 religious school.
Surveillance footage shows the man, concealed by a ski mask, approaching the synagogue with an incendiary device, lighting it and then throwing it into the building before escaping.
A suspect was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court Thursday.
Nicholas Malindretos was in federal court after his arrest Wednesday in Clifton. He’s accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a synagogue in Bloomfield. Prosecutors revealed they uncovered not only the clothes seen on surveillance, but other evidence.
Inside the court room, the public defender representing the 26-year-old suspect offered a glimpse of what we may expect as his defense, arguing Malindretos may be suffering from an undiagnosed mental health disorder.
Meanwhile, the United States District Attorney’s office says they were able to make an arrest after finding many of the materials caught on surveillance.
“Searched the car and seized a mask, gloves and a sweatshirt consistent with the attack in the video,” said Philip Sellinger, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.