A man was charged with ethnic intimidation after allegedly trespassing at a Philly synagogue
Angel Viera, 34, of Philadelphia, is accused of trying to open doors at the Germantown Jewish Centre and making antisemitic statements.
A 34-year-old Philadelphia man was arrested and charged with ethnic intimidation after he allegedly trespassed at a synagogue with a preschool, tried to open doors, and made antisemitic statements, authorities said Friday.
Angel Viera was taken into custody and also charged with defiant trespass and disorderly conduct, court records show. His bail was set Friday at $25,000 unsecured.
Police said that around 10 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to the Germantown Jewish Centre in West Mount Airy for a report of a disturbance involving an unidentified man who was refusing to leave the property.
The man, later identified as Viera, “had been pulling on doors and attempting to gain entry to the school and synagogue,” a police spokesperson said in an email Friday.
“Security personnel instructed the male to leave the property, but he refused. While on the property, the male made several derogatory and antisemitic statements directed toward Jewish people,” the police spokesperson said.
Viera was then arrested, police said.
Nina Peskin, executive director of the Germantown Jewish Centre, said in a phone interview that a security guard first noticed Viera allegedly standing across the street and appearing to take photos or videos with a phone of the property.
Viera then allegedly crossed the street and a lawn area to attempt to open several doors, Peskin said. The security guard, who called police, allegedly told Viera that he was on private property and that he should leave.
Viera then sat on a curb of the property’s driveway and allegedly refused to leave until after police arrived within three minutes of being called, Peskin said.
He allegedly said “F— the Jews” and questioned the security guard for working for a Jewish institution, Peskin said.
The Germantown Jewish Centre has been the target of two bomb threats and multiple hostile phone calls in the last few years.
However, this time a man allegedly tried to enter the property while children were attending the synagogue’s preschool, Peskin said.
“This felt different,” Peskin said, adding that the incident has rattled “our whole community.”
Viera is represented by the Defender Association of Philadelphia. George Jackson, a spokesperson for the association, declined Friday to comment on the case.
Philadelphia police have offered to provide an increased presence at the synagogue and preschool, Peskin said.
Although no one was injured, Peskin said she fears the situation could have been much worse.
“If he had entered the building, it would have been a different story,” Peskin said.
