An Oregon man, Domagoj Patkovic, 31, has been arrested on federal charges for allegedly targeting Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and Long Island with fake bomb threats. The charges include multiple counts of conspiring to make threats concerning explosives, transmitting threatening communications, and conveying false information concerning explosives.
According to prosecutors, Patkovic made at least six violent and threatening phone calls between May and September of 2021, claiming to have planted bombs at these facilities in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island. The calls also included the use of anti-Semitic slurs. Patkovic allegedly livestreamed these threatening calls on the online social media platform Discord.
US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, stated that the defendant and his coconspirators targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers out of hatred, needlessly endangering patients and staff by causing chaos and alarm. Local police responded to the threats, performing bomb sweeps of buildings, although no explosives were ever found.
One of the calls in September led to the partial evacuation and lockdown of a Long Island hospital, prompting the FBI to condemn the actions as inciting unnecessary hysteria and diverting resources to address false alarms. The FBI emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards those who use hoax bomb threats to promote anti-Semitic beliefs and endanger communities.
Patkovic is set to appear in US District Court in Oregon, where prosecutors will seek his detention pending trial. If detained, he will be transported to Brooklyn for arraignment in federal court. If convicted, Patkovic could face up to 155 years in prison.
