A 29-year-old Lakeview man was arrested after police say he set a sign on fire, tried to shove it beneath the entrance door of a West Hempstead synagogue, and repeatedly kicked that same door, causing damage. Azzm Khan, of Park Avenue in Lakeview, now faces arson and criminal mischief charges connected to the incident at Young Israel of West Hempstead, located at 630 Hempstead Avenue.
According to the Nassau County Police Department, the Fifth Squad reported that officers first responded to a criminal mischief call involving a Nassau County Police Department auxiliary vehicle at Hall's Pond Park, 831 Hempstead Avenue, after a witness reported seeing a man break the vehicle's side mirror and called 911. As detailed by LI Herald, another man stopped officers to report a fire nearby, leading them to the synagogue, where they found Khan and a bush actively on fire.
Detectives said Khan had taken a lawn sign from the area, set it on fire, and attempted to push it beneath the synagogue's entrance door before placing it in a bush that then ignited, the outlet reported. Police said he also kicked the synagogue door repeatedly, causing damage, and that he was responsible for the earlier damage to the auxiliary vehicle. Officers arrested Khan without further incident, according to the police department's account.
Charges and Court Appearance
Khan was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal mischief, along with third-degree arson and fifth-degree arson, per the Nassau County Police Department. He was arraigned on Thursday at First District Court, located at 99 Main Street in Hempstead. Newsday reported that Khan pleaded not guilty at that arraignment before Judge Maria Boultadakis, and that bail was set at $500,000, according to Newsday.
Newsday's report also described the charges as arson and criminal mischief filed as hate crimes, a characterization that differs from the straightforward arson and criminal mischief charges listed in the police department's own account. Newsday reported that officers responding to the mischief call around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday found Khan near the burning bush.
No Known Active Threat, Police Say
Nassau County police said the investigation into the incident remains ongoing, and that there are no known active threats to the community. The case comes amid broader concern over bias-motivated incidents in the county; Newsday reported that Nassau County recorded 38 religion-related hate-crime incidents in 2025, including 24 motivated by anti-Jewish bias, according to figures from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Nassau County police. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire and the damage to the auxiliary vehicle continues, authorities said.
