FBI and Huntsville Police Announce Reward and Billboard Campaign to Assist in Identifying Person of Interest in Vandalism of Jewish Synagogues
Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Johnnie Sharp, Jr. and Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray today announced rewards totaling $18,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for the vandalizations of the Etz Chayim Synagogue on April 9, 2020, and the Chabad of Huntsville on April 10, 2020. The announcement was made at a press conference held at Huntsville Police Headquarters this afternoon.
The FBI is providing a $15,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible.
Huntsville Area Crime Stoppers is offering a separate reward of $1,000, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is offering a separate reward of $2,000. These two rewards are subject to their individual rules and are not administered by the FBI.
In addition, this reward campaign will include digital billboards that will be displayed across north Alabama and southern Tennessee. The FBI would like to express its thanks to Lamar Advertising for their contribution to the digital billboard campaign.
In the early morning hours of April 9, 2020, the Etz Chayim Synagogue, located at 7707 Baily Cove Road, Huntsville, Alabama, was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti.
The following day, in the early morning hours of April 10, 2020, the Chabad of Huntsville, located at 1908 Parkhill Road SE, Huntsville, Alabama was vandalized with similar anti-Semitic graffiti. Surveillance camera footage indicated that the vandalisms were perpetrated by the same individual.
The individual walked with a pronounced, distinct limp and appeared to have a prosthetic left leg. The individual may have been driving an early model Toyota Prius, light in color.
Prior to the vandalizations, on April 4, 2020, the individual was seen walking on residential streets near the Chabad of Huntsville in the Blossomwood neighborhood.
Investigators are asking that anyone with information regarding the possible identity of this individual or these incidents, please contact the FBI’s Birmingham Division, Huntsville Resident Agency at (256) 539-1711 or the Huntsville Police Department at (256) 427-7009. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.
Huntsville Police media contact: Lt. Jesse Sumlin, (256) 746-4130
