NEW YORK — A driver smashed a car into a side entrance of the Chabad movement’s world headquarters in New York City on Wednesday, provoking widespread alarm in the Jewish community.

Video showed a car repeatedly ramming into the building’s entrance, knocking a door off its hinges, as bystanders watched.

The driver then exited the vehicle, walked slowly toward the road and was arrested by police at the scene.

A Chabad spokesperson, Motti Seligson, said in a statement that the ramming appeared to be intentional, that the driver’s motives were unclear, and that there were no injuries.

The building, at 770 Eastern Parkway and known colloquially as “770,” is revered worldwide, and sits at the heart of the Chabad neighborhood in Crown Heights.

The building is likely the most famous and recognizable Jewish site in New York City.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at the scene that police stationed at the building heard a commotion at the building’s main entrance, and when they responded, saw a vehicle strike the rear door, reverse, and strike the door again.

Officers ordered the driver out of the car and arrested him. A bomb squad swept the vehicle and found no explosives, Tisch said.

She added that it was too early to determine the driver’s mental state or motives.

The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and the NYPD has increased security at houses of worship around the city, including by........

© The Times of Israel