Law enforcement agencies throughout the country have increased police presence around Jewish places of worship following a vehicle ramming and shootout at a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Major agencies such as the New York City Police Department and Washington‘s Metropolitan Police Department released statements that they had upped enforcement presence at Jewish institutions throughout each city. Initial reports from the attack suggest that nobody at the Temple Israel synagogue was hurt in the attack except the suspect himself, who was pronounced dead.
“The NYPD is tracking the situation in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and we are in touch with our law enforcement partners,” the NYPD said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, and given the overall heightened threat environment, we’re continuing to deploy high-visibility patrols to Jewish religious and cultural institutions in the city.”
The MPD also said the increased presence comes “out of an abundance of caution” and urged the public to remain vigilant.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives officials were on the scene Thursday at the temple, deemed the “largest Reform synagogue” in the United States.
The attack on Thursday and increased law enforcement presence come as antisemitic attacks are on the rise in the United States.
FBI RESPONDS TO ATTACK ON TEMPLE ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE IN MICHIGAN
In New York specifically, recently released NYPD statistics show a sharp increase in antisemitic hate crimes. The NYPD reported that there was a 182% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in January 2026 compared to January 2025, while overall hate crimes increased 152%.
Last year, two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Minutes after the shooting, the suspect, who pleaded not guilty, allegedly said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”