The man who attacked US Rep. Lee Zeldin at a New York campaign rally on Thursday was arrested and charged with attempted assault – hours before walking free without bail.
David Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport, confronted the Republican, who was giving a speech on bail reform, in Perinton, New York, a small town outside Rochester, as part of his ‘United to Fire Hochul’ campaign.
Jakubonis, thought to be an Iraq war veteran, was drunk when he screamed at Zeldin: ‘OK, you’re done,’ right before launching his attack, according to WHEC-TV.
The veteran was arrested and charged with attempted assault in the second degree. He was released within hours, just as Zeldin predicted he would.
‘The attacker is in custody,’ Zeldin wrote on Instagram after the June 21 attack. ‘This suspect will likely be back on the street immediately.
Zeldin’s prediction was a clear reference to New York’s shoddy bail reform laws, which doesn’t require cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felony charges, allowing criminals who haven’t been convicted of a crime to go free.
The state Senate claims the reform has led to fewer people behind bars and has contributed to increased crime.
David Jakubonis attacked gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during his bail reform speech on Thursday. Jakuboniswas arrested and released hours later under the state’s lenient bail laws
Video from the scene shows Jakubonis enter the stage from slightly behind Zeldin, walk calmly up to him and eventually raise his arm toward the candidate’s neck.
A group of Zeldin supporters quickly subdued the attacker before he inflicted any damage and held him in place until authorities arrived to arrest the man.
A weapon, which appeared to be a pair of brass knuckles with two blades affixed, was recovered from the scene. The weapon featured a cat’s face with the words: ‘Made in the USA’ written across it.
That blade appears to have been made from hard plastic, it has since emerged, although authorities said it is just as strong and sharp as a metal equivalent.
Jakubonis was arraigned at Perinton Town Court and charged with attempted assault in the second degree. He was released on his own recognizance.
The suspect seen entering the stage while Zeldin was speaking. He can be heard saying: You’re done’
David Jakubonis, 43, being taken into custody by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. He has been charged with attempted assault in the second degree
The suspect’s alleged weapon was handed over to authorities
‘Someone tried to stab me on stage during this evening’s rally, but fortunately, I was able to grab his wrist and stop him for a few moments until others tackled him,’ Zeldin tweeted.
The candidate wasn’t injured and returned to the stage after the suspect was arrested by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
Before Jakubonis was arrested, Zeldin supporters are said to have subdued him with zip-ties.
The man who took down Zeldin’s would-be assailant initially was named as AMVETS national director Joe Chenelly. AMVETS is a non-partisan veterans advocacy group.
Chenelly said that he spoke with Jakubonis and when he found out the suspect had served in Iraq, he vowed to get him help.
Chenelly told the Rochester First: ‘When he said he served in Iraq, I got down hands on my knees and said, “You know, we’re going to get through whatever you’ve done here tonight. You’re going to get better and focus on that. You can contact me after this thing is done”.’
He added: ‘I was told not to engage with him right now. I think it’s very important we obviously have a mental health crisis nationwide – not just with our veterans but we especially have it with our veterans.’
Zeldin, a staunch ally of ex-President Donald Trump, is the Republican nominee to replace current New York governor Kathy Hochul.
New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy said after the attack that current Gov. Kathy Hochul ‘fanned the flames of hate’ today by recently posting Zeldin’s schedule online and apparently encouraging her supporters to attend.
Zeldin appears during New York’s Republican gubernatorial debate at the studios of Spectrum News NY1 on June 20, 2022, in New York
Since 2015, Zeldin has represented New York’s first district in Congress, representing Long Island’s affluent Hamptons-area.
He has been an opponent of New York’s bail reform laws, eliminating cash bail for nonviolent and misdemeanor charges.
His campaign said in a statement on Thursday: ‘Congressman Zeldin, Alison Esposito and all members of Team Zeldin are safe following tonight’s attack. Far more must be done to make New York safe again. This is very much getting out of hand in this state.
The message continued: ‘Unfortunately, Congressman Zeldin is just the latest New Yorker whose life has been affected by the out of control crime and violence in New York. This needs to stop!’
The suspect being wrestled the ground by a group of Zeldin supporters
Gov. Hochul speaking at an event on the night that Zeldin was attacked in New York City where she was advocating for the city to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention
Following the attack, New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy blamed the current governor for the attack saying: ‘It’s not a coincidence that just hours earlier, Kathy Hochul fanned the flames of hate by directing her supporters to his rally schedule. This is unacceptable conduct for anyone, let alone a sitting governor.’
On her campaign website, Hochul’s team pointed out Zeldin’s event on July 21 telling her supporters: ‘RSVP to hear about Zeldin’s ‘Election Integrity Task Force,’ and his recent election fraud scandal in which his campaign photocopied over 11,000 duplicate signatures.’
A week before the attack, the congressman was taken off of the Independent Party’s ballot line in November’s gubernatorial election after more than 12,500 of the signatures on his application were found to have been duplicates of real signatures.
Following Thursday’s incident, Governor Hochul said: ‘Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody. I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible — it has no place in New York.’
According to his LinkedIn page, Joe Chenelly, the man who took down the attacker, is a candidate for the New York assembly in 2022
According to his LinkedIn page, the man who first took down the would-be attacker, Joe Chenelly, is a candidate for the New York state assembly in 2022.
Chenelly is a long time advocate for veterans and has worked as a political advisor for former United States Senator Jim Webb’s short-lived campaign for the presidency in 2016.
Following Thursday’s incident, his wife wrote on Facebook: ‘Joe Chenelly is a hero.’
New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola quickly condemned the attack in a statement saying: ‘Attacks on political candidates, regardless of their viewpoints, are absolutely unacceptable.’
She continued: ‘This country was founded on the idea of freedom of speech. Political violence of this kind represents a dangerous shift away from the principles that this nation was built upon.’
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