Bergenfield Police Department

A rabbi was assaulted in New Jersey Sunday afternoon ahead of a weeklong Jewish holiday, prompting police to add extra patrols while they investigate the motive.

Avraham Wein, the assistant rabbi at Congregation Keter Torah, was assaulted outside his home in Bergenfield, New Jersey, just 15 minutes outside Jersey City, he told CNN on Monday, declining to comment further about the incident.

Jeffrey Zicchinella, 40, was driving Sunday around 2 p.m. when he got out of his car and assaulted the rabbi, according to a Facebook post from Bergenfield Police Chief Mustafa Rabboh.

A nearby resident came to help the rabbi, the chief said, adding both the rabbi and the resident suffered minor injuries.

It’s unclear why Zicchinella pursued Wein or whether the two kn

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