Two people in a van tossed a firework out their window during a fight with another person in front of a Queens synagogue, as the Jewish Sabbath began on Friday evening, police said.
The duo and a person on the street got into an argument outside of the Bukharian Torah Society on Lefferts Boulevard in Kew Gardens shortly after 8:30 p.m., according to the NYPD.
The people in the van then tossed a lit firework onto the sidewalk as they drove away, cops said. No one was injured.
Police at the scene after a lit firework was tossed out of a van near the Bukharian Torah Society in Queens on June 25, 2021. Christopher Sadowski
Police said there was an argument between three people, which led to the explosive being thrown. Christopher Sadowski“At this time it appears the incident has no connection to a synagogue in the vicinity,” the NYPD tweeted.
Worshippers inside the temple described hearing a loud explosion during services for the holy day.
Cops said there appears to be no link between the incident and the nearby synagogue. Christopher Sadowski“We were in the middle of a service, and we just heard a huge bang and everybody was just a little bit kind of alarmed,” Markiel Babekov told WCBS-TV.
Neighbor Chris Beck added to WABC-TV, “It was a second, but it was a huge bang — way louder than a car backfiring. My wife and I rushed to the window because you could feel it.”
Streets were blocked off as police investigated.
“Expect traffic delays, road closures, & emergency personnel near Lefferts Boulevard & Metropolitan Avenue, Queens. Avoid the area,” emergency officials tweeted shortly after the incident.
