Lunatic who attacked NYC synagogue told cops ‘F–k the Jews,’ but aunt claims he wants to be Jewish

Nypost · Aug 15, 2026 · 680 words · By Adry Torres; Sonya Gugliara; Tina Moore; Sofia Poznansky; Joe Marino

Mental Health Public safety Antisemitism

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What to know about Mental Health

Lunatic who attacked NYC synagogue told cops ‘F–k the Jews,’ but aunt claims he wants to be Jewish See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Lunatic who attacked NYC synagogue told cops ‘F–k the Jews,’ but aunt claims he wants to be Jewish See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google The unhinged lunatic who stormed into a Manhattan synagogue is a deranged serial robber who sources say told cops “F–k the Jews” after the hate-filled attack — but his aunt bizarrely claims he wants to be Jewish.

Common ground

Larry Montes allegedly barged into Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street on Friday around 6 p.m.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Smears: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Mental Health story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that His mother died during childbirth?
How does this story connect Mental Health with Public safety over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/15/us-news/lunatic-who-attacked-nyc-synagogue-told-co…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Smears 80% confidence

Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.

Why it matters: Recognizing smears helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 5

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info

Claim 1: “His mother died during childbirth”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results provided for this claim are generic stories about mothers dying during childbirth and contain no mention of Larry Montes' mother.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A cloud of sorrow has descended upon Bulindo village following the heartbreaking death of a 26-year-old woman during childbirth. The deceased, identified as Ritah, had only weeks earlier celebrated a …
https://muranganewspaper.co.ke/sombre-mood-as-26-year-old-yo…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — No breath baby mother has died #please pray for baby #cynosis #newborn #nicubaby Tragic Delivery: Mother Passes During Newborn's Birth. A heartbreaking story of a mother who tragically lost her life d…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/mom-dies-during-childbirth

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — "Her adoptive mother died of cancer, and shortly after, her adoptive father was diagnosed with a heart condition," Bonnie Chase, Moultroup's daughter, told CNN. Moultroup's adoptive father remarried, …
https://www.wisn.com/article/88-year-old-mother-reunites-wit…

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Claim 2: “NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement... that NYPD resources have been ramped up around the house of prayer”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm Jessica Tisch is the NYPD Commissioner and that she issued statements regarding the incident and the direction of resources to protect the synagogue.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is structured into numerous bureaus and units. As a whole, the NYPD is headed by the police commissioner, a civilian administrator appointed by the mayor, wi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_the_New_York_C…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jessica Sarah Tisch ( TISH; born 1981) is an American public administrator. Since November 2024, she has served as the 48th New York City police commissioner. Previously, she served as Commissioner of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Tisch

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City police commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Police_Commissio…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The 46-year-old assailant allegedly slugged a 63-year-old woman”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources confirm the assailant was 46 years old and struck/punched a 63-year-old woman.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — António de Oliveira Salazar (28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator, academic, and economist who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/António_de_Oliveira_Salazar

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Civil rights groups in the United States, such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), catalog antisemitic incidents, including assaults…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_antisemitic_incidents_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maria Grazia Morgana Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), better known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress. She began a professional singing career at sixteen years old. In he…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgana_King

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 4: “He’s also reposted videos that slam anti-Israel Mayor Zohran Mamdani”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm that Montes reposted videos regarding Zohran Mamdani.

info

Claim 5: “Montes’ aunt Myriam Montes, who lives in Puerto Rico”

SINGLE SOURCE

One news report explicitly names Myriam Montes as his aunt in Puerto Rico. Another source mentions an aunt's comments but doesn't explicitly confirm her name and location in the same way. A Zillow result for a Myriam Montes in California is likely a different person.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Montes’ aunt Myriam Montes, who lives in Puerto Rico, told The Post that she believes he’s gone off the rails. “I feel terrible about what happened to this young man—my nephew. He’s had issues regardi…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/15/us-news/lunatic-who-attacked-n…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Larry Montes, charged in Central Synagogue attack, shared posts about Israel and Judaism and expressed interest in converting, his aunt said.
https://forward.com/news/845321/central-synagogue-attack-lar…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Visit Myriam Montes's profile on Zillow to find ratings and reviews. Find great PERRIS, CA real estate professionals on Zillow like Myriam Montes of HERITAGE HOME REALTY.- Average price. Get to know M…
https://www.zillow.com/profile/Myriam+Montes

schedule

Claim 6: “Cops discovered that Montes was carrying a crack pipe during that incident [July 2019 CVS robbery]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “Larry Montes allegedly barged into Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street on Friday around 6 p.m. during a Shabbat service”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm Larry Montes entered Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street around 6 p.m. on a Friday during Shabbat services.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — José Mojica Marins (13 March 1936 – 19 February 2020) was a Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host. Marins is also known for creating and playing the character …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Mojica_Marins

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, and formerly Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Harlem

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “The Bronx man was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime”

CORROBORATED

The specific charges (two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime) are confirmed by a cross-reference and multiple independent news sources.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The New York police department identified the suspect in the case as Larry Montes, 46, who was arrested after the episode at the synagogue. Montes was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crim…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/15/hate-crime-c…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The suspect, Larry Montes of the Bronx, was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, according to police.
https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/sjz4x9pugl

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Larry Montes, 46, Bronx man, charged with hate crimes after assaulting congregant and security guard. Incident occurred during Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan; police say.
https://newscord.org/article/larry-montes-disrupts-shabbat-s…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 9: “broke two religious candles valued at $20,000”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources confirm that Montes broke/smashed two religious candles/candle holders valued at $20,000.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's use of social media attracted worldwide attention since he joined Twitter (now X) in March 2009. Over nearly twelve years, Trump tweeted around 57,000 times, including about 8,000 times…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_X_by_Donald_Trump

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “He also pummeled a 20-year-old worker in the head after attempting to steal four deodorants from a CVS at 2833 Broadway in July 2019”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “Montes’ Facebook is flooded with posts about Israel and Judaism”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm the contents of Larry Montes' Facebook profile.

schedule

Claim 12: “Montes... was arrested at least twice before for violent robberies”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “headbutted and spat on a 65-year-old security guard who tried to intervene”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that Montes headbutted and spat on a member of the security team. While the specific age '65' is mentioned in one detailed report, the actions are corroborated across sources.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 14: “On the Fourth of July 2023, he was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon after he pulled a knife on an employee trying to stop him from stealing $25 wireless headphones from a Best Buy at 1280 Lexington Ave”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “He was charged with robbery, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a controlled substances [July 2019]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.