Man Spat Into Car During Protests At Bergen County Synagogue: Police

TEANECK, NJ – A man has been charged with assault after he spat into a car during protests near a synagogue in Teaneck on Monday night, police said.

Zachary Riccardo, 25, of Little Neck, N.Y. was charged with simple assault and bias intimidation, said Police Chief Andrew McGurr.

McGurr said that a demonstraton began at around 4 p.m. Monday in the area of New Bridge Road and Roemer Avenue, across the street from Congregation Keter Torah. He said the protest was in response to a private event in the building "that involved the showcasing of real estate in Israel."

A group of approximately 40 protestors assembled at a parking lot in River Edge and walked to Continental Park on Roemer Avenue, across the street from Keter Torah, the chief said.

A group of approximately 250 counter protestors assembled on the grounds of Keter Torah, McGurr said.

A video of the protests shows a crowd with Palestinian flags on one side of the street, and a crowd with Israeli flags on the other.

A flyer for the protest says it's "against the stolen Palestinian land sales event."

Police positioned themselves between the two groups, McGurr said.

But before 6 p.m. they "observed one of the protestors ... lean forward and expectorate into a vehicle that was passing by, westbound on Roemer Ave. The operator of the vehicle was honking the horn of their vehicle and expressing support for the counter protestors when the incident occurred, and it appeared as though they were hit with the expectorant," McGurr said.

The vehicle did not stop but police took Riccardo into custody, police said.

He was served with a summons and released to await an appearance in Bergen Central Judicial Processing Court, McGurr said.

Pro-Palestine protests also were held near the synagogue last year when they hosted real estate fairs, other outlets reported.