A man brandishing a sharp object who attacked U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin as the Republican candidate for New York governor delivered a speech in western New York has been charged with attempted assault. David Jakubonis, 43, was arraigned and released, a Monroe County sheriff’s spokesperson said.
Jacob Murphy, a spokesperson for Zeldin’s congressional office, said Friday that Zeldin had a minor scrape from the incident. He said Zeldin had not received any specific threats recently.
It’s not clear whether Jakubonis has an attorney who can speak for him. A message seeking comment was left at a number listed for Jakubonis.
Jakubonis is an Army veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2009 as a medical laboratory technician.
After a campaign event Friday, Zeldin told reporters his attacker wore a hat indicating he was a veteran.
“Now, the way that I’m wired, when I see somebody wearing a hat that says that they’re a veteran, my guard couldn’t possibly be more dropped,” Zeldin said. “But at the same exact time, I noticed he had a weapon in his hand.”
Zeldin described the weapon as a sharp object with two holes that his fingers went through and “two sharp, dagger-like edges.”
Zeldin said the attacker lunged for the area around his throat and he grabbed onto the man’s wrist.
“There were so many people around that I would expect there to be help quickly, and that’s what happened,” Zeldin said.
The incident happened as Zeldin, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul this November, was addressing a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the town of Fairport, outside Rochester.
The attacker climbed onto a low stage where the congressman spoke to a crowd of dozens, flanked by bales of hay and American flags.
Videos taken by people in the audience showed Jakubonis walk up to Zeldin saying, “You’re done,” and then try to grab him, bringing a pointed object shaped like a cat’s head toward Zeldin’s neck as he reached for the congressman. Photos of the object suggested it was a keychain meant to be worn on the knuckles for self defense.
Ian Winner/Handout via Reuters
In response to a question about what security was at the event, Murphy said: “Congressman Zeldin had private security at the event and law enforcement arrived on the scene within a few minutes. Security will be increased starting with our first event this morning.”
Zeldin told reporters Friday security would be “ramped up” at all events for the remainder of the campaign.
Among those who helped to subdue the attacker was Zeldin’s running mate, former New York Police Department Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito.
In a statement, Hochul condemned the attack and said she was “relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody.”
New York Republican State Committee Chairman Nick Langworthy called on Hochul to issue a security detail for Zeldin to protect him on the campaign trail.
“This could have gone a lot worse. This could have really ended in a horrible way tonight and this is unacceptable,” he said.
Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small referred questions about providing Zeldin with a security detail to New York state police.
President Biden condemned the attack “in the strongest terms” in a statement Friday.
“As I’ve said before, violence has absolutely no place in our society or our politics,” the president said. “I am especially grateful for the courage of those who immediately intervened, and that he is unharmed and was able to continue his speech. I also want to thank the law enforcement officers who quickly took action and are investigating this attack that defies our fundamental democratic values.”
Zeldin, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who has represented eastern Long Island in Congress since 2015, is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump and was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results.
He has focused his campaign on fighting crime but faces an uphill battle against Hochul. He’ll need to persuade independent voters — which outnumber Republicans in the state — as well as Democrats in order to win the general election.
Democrats are expected to focus on Zeldin’s vocal defense of Trump during both of his impeachments and objection to the election results.
