On December 10, 2019, a shooting took place at a

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

grocery store in the Greenville section of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

and anti-law enforcement messages on social media;

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confir ...

Gurbir Grewal Gurbir Singh Grewal (; born June 23, 1973) is an American attorney and prosecutor who served as the sixty-first attorney general of the State of New Jersey from January 2018 until his resignation in July 2021. Appointed by Governor of New Jersey ...

stated that evidence indicated that the attacks were acts of hate and

domestic terrorism Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims.Gary M. Jackson, ''Predicting Malicious Behavior: Tools and Techniques ...

which were fueled by antisemitism and

anti-police sentiment Anti-police sentiment refers to a social group or individual's attitude and stance against the policing system. By country Indonesia The anti-police sentiment has reported to be on the rise in Indonesia in recent years. In 2021, a police offic ...

. Authorities believe that a much larger attack had been planned, but it was thwarted by the police detective's intervention at the cemetery. The shooting was part of a wave of violent attacks against Jews in the United States.

Shootings

On December 10, 2019, a police detective, who was meeting a confidential informant, came across the assailants at the Bayview Cemetery in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. in what was described as a chance encounter. It is believed that he approached the suspects, who were in a stolen

U-Haul U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage owned ...

van that was linked to the murder three days before of 34-year-old Jersey City resident Michael Rumberger in nearby

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

. The assailants shot and killed the officer. His body was discovered by a bystander and reported at 12:38 p.m. The suspects immediately fled in the stolen van and drove about one mile to a

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

, the JC Kosher Supermarket in the Greenville section of Jersey City, and they opened fire immediately after they exited the vehicle; the assault was exclusively directed towards the store, and bystanders in the street were ignored as a result. The two shooters wielded an AR-15-style weapon and Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, respectively; a 9-millimeter semi-automatic Ruger and a 9-millimeter

Glock 17 Glock is a brand of polymer-Receiver (firearms), framed, Recoil operation#Short recoil operation, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H., Glock Ges.m.b.H. The ...

were also found in the store. At approximately 12:21 p.m., while wearing tactical gear, they entered the store and fatally shot the owner, an employee, and a customer. Authorities believe that the three victims were killed "within minutes" of the shooters attack on the market. The employee of the store was reported to have been killed holding the back door open so that others could escape. Two other customers were able to escape. In the ensuing shootout, the assailants exchanged gunfire with the police for more than three hours before they were shot and killed. A

BearCat The bearcat, also known as the binturong, is a viverrine mammal from Southeast Asia. Bearcat or bearkat may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Bearcats!'', a 1971 American TV series * ''The Bearcat'', a 1922 film starring Hoot Gibson * "Do the Bea ...

armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

rammed through the storefront, ending the siege. Several hundreds of shell casings were ultimately found at the scene. The van was later found to contain a live

pipe bomb A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device which uses a tightly sealed section of pipe (material), pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple Explosive material#Low explosives, low explosi ...

that had the capacity to kill or injure people up to 500 yards away; the van had also been lined with homemade ballistic panels made of material from bulletproof vests. The suspects were also found to have material that could be used to make a second bomb. Investigators also found a .22-caliber Ruger Mark IV handgun equipped with a homemade silencer and a homemade device to catch

shell casings A cartridge or a round is a type of pre-assembled firearm ammunition packaging a projectile (bullet, shot (pellet), shot, or shotgun slug, slug), a propellant substance (usually either smokeless powder or black powder) and an ignition device ( ...

. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene: the Jersey City Police Department, the Jersey City Fire Department Rescue Task Force, the Hudson County Sheriff's Office, the

New Jersey State Police The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors. History As with other state police organization ...

, the

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevent ...

, the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

, the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, or Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), is a law enforcement agency in New York and New Jersey, the duties of which are to protect and to enforce state and city laws at all t ...

, the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

and departments from other neighboring municipalities, and sheriffs from three counties.

Victims

The assailants killed 39-year-old Detective Joseph Seals, who had been a police officer since 2006; 33-year-old female store owner Mindy Ferencz, a mother of three; 49-year-old employee Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, who was originally from Ecuador; and 24-year-old male rabbinical student Moshe Deutsch, who was a customer of the store. Both Ferencz and Deutsch were Orthodox Jews. Two officers, one male and one female, were wounded in the shootout and were released from the hospital the same day. A wounded man escaped out the back door of the store. He was treated at

Jersey City Medical Center The Jersey City Medical Center is a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The hospital has had different facilities in the city. It is currently located on a 15-acre campus at Grand Street and Jersey Avenue overlooking New York Harbor and Lib ...

, and released the same day.

Assailants

On December 11, the shooters, both of whom were killed by police during the siege, were identified as David Nathaniel Anderson (age 47) and his girlfriend Francine Graham (age 50). Both were

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

. Anderson and Graham were suspects in the murder of

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), package ...

driver Michael Rumberger in

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

the weekend prior to the attack. Rumberger's blood was found on a Bible that belonged to the assailants, and his DNA was on their clothes and one weapon. Anderson and Graham had Googled the meaning of the surname "Rumberger". Anderson and Graham were also suspects in an incident a week before the Jersey City shooting, when on December 3 two shots were fired at a vehicle which was being driven by a person who was clearly identifiable as being Jewish, on U.S. Route 1/9 near

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

and

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. The vehicle's rear window was shot out. Graham's phone was in the area at the time of the shooting, and it was later determined the

ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...

matched a gun linked to the two assailants. Anderson and Graham bought a number of weapons, and trained to use them in Ohio; video footage showed the pair undertaking target practice with long guns in

Austintown, Ohio Austintown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place within Austintown Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, Austintown Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 29,594 at the 2020 United ...

, on Dec. 1, 2019. Before they engaged in the attack, they researched another possible attack on a Jewish community center in Bayonne. Video footage showed Anderson and Graham appearing to scout the JC Kosher Supermarket several times in the week leading up to the attack, including a drive-by an hour and a half before the shooting; authorities ultimately concluded the attack had been planned for months, and that during their reconnaissance, the attackers had entered the JC Supermarket on at least one occasion. A Jewish day-school with 50 students was in the same building, leading

Mayor of Jersey City The Mayor of the City of Jersey City is the head of the executive branch of the government of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint depu ...

Steven Fulop Steven Michael Fulop (born February 28, 1977) is an American politician serving as the 49th and current mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. A Democrat, he was formerly the Councilman for Jersey City's Ward E. On May 14, 2013, Fulop defeated incumben ...

to believe that the building had been chosen partly for this reason. In January, 2020, officials announced that evidence showed that Anderson and Graham had planned much larger attacks against both the Jewish community and law enforcement which could have resulted in dozens of casualties or more, but that the intervention by Detective Seals had disrupted these. Anderson had made hundreds of posts on social media that were

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

anti-police Anti-police sentiment refers to a social group or individual's attitude and stance against the policing system. By country Indonesia The anti-police sentiment has reported to be on the rise in Indonesia in recent years. In 2021, a police offic ...

, or both. Anderson identified as a

Black Hebrew Israelite Black Hebrew Israelites (also called Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, and African Hebrew Israelites) are groups of African Americans who believe that they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites. Some sub-groups believ ...

, a movement which has no connection to mainstream Judaism and parts of which are listed as hate groups by the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...

, and social media posts by Anderson, sometimes under the alias "Dawad Maccabee," invoked tenets of Black Israelite philosophy; these included affirmations of the Khazar Myth, references to Jews as Nazis, the claim that Jews were "imposters who inhabited synagogues of Satan," and assertions that the police were under the control of Jews. A former neighbor recalled Anderson spending considerable time listening to what the neighbor believed were sermons by

Louis Farrakhan Louis Farrakhan (; born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader, black supremacist, anti-white and antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and former singer who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI). Prior to joining the NOI, h ...

, but other posts by Anderson accused Farrakhan of being a "rat" and a "con" for posing in photos with the members of the

Naturei Karta Neturei Karta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: , , ) is a religious group of Haredi Jews, formally created in Jerusalem, then in Mandatory Palestine, in 1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisrael. Neturei Karta opposes Zionism and calls for a "peac ...

, an extremist Orthodox Jewish sect. A handwritten note inside the van said: "I do this because my creator makes me do this and I hate who he hates." Footage from inside the kosher supermarket records Anderson saying: "They stole our heritage, they stole our birthright, and they hired these guys to stop us." The note also contained a reference to a documentary movie with a reference to a time-stamp where an interviewee advocates "killing fascist cop pigs." Mayor Fulop was among the first public officials to call the attack a

hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

;

Mayor of New York The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the office of New Yor ...

also called the attack a "premeditated violent antisemitic hate crime" and an "act of terror".

stated that evidence indicated acts of hate and domestic terrorism fueled both by "hatred of the Jewish people and hatred of law enforcement."

Aftermath

The

, twelve

Jersey City Public Schools The Jersey City Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to ...

in the vicinity, as well as that of Sacred Heart Church, located across the street, were on lockdown during the incident. That school was taken over by law-enforcement agencies and used during the incident. Between 50-60 children were held in the

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

of Khal Adas Greenville next to the market. Public transportation on NJ Transit buses and the

Hudson Bergen Light Rail Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson ...

in the area were suspended. The

New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west route stretching from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to New York City. In New Jersey, I-78 is called the Phillipsburg–Newark Expressway and the Newark Bay–Hudson County Extension o ...

was temporarily closed.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

was briefed about the incident at the White House. He gave his condolences to the victims and their families via a tweet.

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

expressed his condolences, his thoughts and prayers for police, residents, and school children, and praise for the slain detective in a series of tweets.

Robert Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale (publisher), Gale Biography I ...

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. sena ...

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

from

, and Mayor Fulop also expressed their condolences. Mayor Fulop said a trustee of the

Jersey City Board of Education The Jersey City Public Schools is a comprehensive community state school, public school district located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 f ...

, Joan Terrell-Paige, should resign due to a Facebook message she posted after the shooting, in which she said black residents were "threatened, intimidated and harassed" by "brutes of the jewish community" (sic). She made reference to accusations of rabbis selling body parts. Terrell-Paige, who is

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, further asked whether the public is "brave enough" to listen to the perpetrators' message. Governor Murphy concurred in asking Terrell-Paige to resign; she said she is unrepentant. The

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

asked Terrell-Paige to resign citing her "lack of remorse". Fulop said that analysis of the assailants' computers showed that they likely intended to do more harm, that the yeshiva was the probable target of the attack, and that they "moved more quickly" with their plans because of their encounter with Detective Seals. In January 2020 Jared Maples, director of the

New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness leads and coordinates New Jersey's counterterrorism, cybersecurity and preparedness efforts throughout the State. History Shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, New Jersey's leg ...

, said it was investigating possible funding sources for the attack, but with many

lone wolf A lone wolf is a wolf not belonging to a pack. Lone wolf or Lone Wolf may also refer to: Literature *''Lone Wolf'', a book by Kathryn Lasky, part of the series called ''Wolves of the Beyond'' *''Lone Wolf and Cub'', a 1970 Japanese graphic nov ...

attacks they "do not need large amounts of funding to conduct their operations, making it difficult to detect and prevent attacks. The most common tactics in domestic extremist attacks include easily obtainable weapons, such as knives, small arms, and vehicles." The market was re-opened by its owner at a nearby location in March 2020. On October 7, 2020, a pawn shop dealer in

Keyport, New Jersey Keyport is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,240,16th Street Park 16th Street Park, also known as Dominico – 16th Street Park, is a municipal park in Bayonne, New Jersey. It is located on the west side of the city along the Newark Bay across from Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal. It is a component of th ...

in Bayonne.

Shootings

Victims

Assailants

Aftermath

See also

References

Further reading