A man from Utah accused of making online threats to shoot up a prominent Manhattan synagogue was stopped Friday evening at the Lincoln Tunnel on the way into New York City, according to police sources.
Luis Ramirez had been stopped earlier on his road trip in Kansas City where police discovered a firearm, according to police sources.
He did not have any weapons when he was stopped by the NYPD and Port Authority Police on Friday.
The online threats were made in a post on Ramirez’s X account.
Police believed he was on his way to the Central Synagogue in midtown Manhattan. A senior official stressed there was no explicit, direct threat made to Central Synagogue itself, although Ramirez did allegedly mention he might go there.
It appeared that Ramirez would face state charges coming from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, according to police officials.
He made it as far as the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel, where he was stopped by Port Authority Police around 5:30 p.m.
Ramirez was taken into custody in New Jersey, and police were searching his car, though there were no immediate signs of any weapons, police officials said. Authorities were also hoping to gain access to his phone to potentially learn more about the alleged threats.
The investigation was still in its early stages. Law enforcement said it did not appear Ramirez had any sort of organized plot to attack.
