Bronx man who allegedly vandalized synagogues charged with 42 criminal counts
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The man who allegedly terrorized Riverdale synagogues for nearly two weeks left a pile of one congregation’s prayer books doused in hand sanitizer in woods nearby, prosecutors said.
Jordan Burnette, 29, faces 42 criminal charges for his role in nine separate incidents of alleged vandalism over 11 days, in which he is accused of pelting rocks through the doors and windows of four Jewish communal buildings.
The spree of destruction came to a halt on Saturday night when cops caught Burnette riding against traffic on a bike stolen from nearby Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel.
Police later found a pile of Adath Israel’s prayer books covered in hand sanitizer “in a nearby wooded area,” according to the official criminal complaint. Video footage showed Burnette cover the books with sanitizer and chuck a rock into the windshield of a Honda Odyssey parked nearby, prosecutors said.
Surveillance footage and witness statements also pinned Burnette for the other attacks, which began April 21 when he allegedly pulled the fire alarm at Riverdale Jewish Center, prosecutors said.
The accused vandal allegedly returned to the Orthodox Jewish congregation 24 hours later and chucked a rock through the building’s glass front door, video surveillance and witness statements showed.
He struck again after midnight that night, throwing a rock through a window at the Riverdale Jewish Youth Library, cops said.
Two nights later, on April 24, Burnette allegedly vandalized a succession of four buildings and four vehicles between 10:25 p.m. and 11:20 p.m., prosecutors said.
Video footage showed him toss “several rocks” through glass doors or windows at three different synagogues, the Riverdale Jewish Youth Library and three cars parked in a private driveway next to Jewish Board Family and Children’s Service Center, according to court docs.
Burnette is also accused of hurling a metal garbage can through the rear window of a 2016 Subaru parked near Adath Israel.
It is unclear what affiliation the vehicles had with the Jewish community, if any.
The alleged vandal is set to be arraigned on Sunday in Bronx Criminal Court.
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