A 22-year-old Queens man already facing manslaughter charges in the death of a 71-year-old Jewish woman has been indicted on additional hate crime charges for vandalising a Jewish-owned kosher bagel shop twice in the days preceding the fatal hit-and-run, prosecutors said.
Dawood Faisal, of Fresh Meadows, is accused of repeatedly targeting Bagels & Co., a local business displaying Israeli flags and banners, before speeding through a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood and striking Cara Trager and her husband, Michael, on May 25.
Faisal was already behind bars over Trager’s death on Union Parkway when the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced the separate indictment over the vandalism. Prosecutors said the incidents involved the deliberate destruction of property at the kosher shop, with the business targeted because of its Jewish ownership and displays supporting Israel.
According to prosecutors, the first incident occurred shortly after 6:15 p.m. on May 15. Faisal allegedly knocked over nine metal plant stands outside Bagels & Co., picked up the scattered dirt and hurled it at the building. He allegedly returned on May 23, pushing over and kicking 11 plant stands before throwing dirt outside the premises. He also allegedly uprooted greenery from a large clay pot and tossed it.
Fatal hit-and-run followed days after vandalism
Two days after the second vandalism incident, on May 25, Faisal drove his 2013 Toyota Prius through the neighbourhood at 75 mph in a 35 mph zone. Prosecutors said he ran a red light on Francis Lewis Boulevard and struck Cara Trager and her husband, Michael. Cara, 71, died, while Michael miraculously survived the collision.
Faisal fled the scene but subsequently crashed his car. Bystanders detained him until police arrived. In June, he was indicted on manslaughter and assault charges in connection with the fatal collision.
Michael Trager subsequently launched a campaign to have the hit-and-run designated a hate crime, citing the vandalism incidents at the Jewish-owned shop shortly before his wife’s death.
“What I am alleging was that he was in a Jewish area, a very heavy Jewish area,” Michael Trager said.
Faisal was initially arrested in July over the vandalism allegations and was indicted this week on hate crime charges connected to those incidents.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Faisal had repeatedly targeted a Fresh Meadows business because it was Jewish-owned and displayed Israeli flags, describing the destruction as an expression of antisemitism.
“Bias crimes are an affront to our entire community and will not be tolerated,” Katz said in a statement.
The additional indictment brings separate hate crime allegations against Faisal over the shop vandalism alongside the existing manslaughter and assault charges arising from the fatal May 25 collision.
