A New Jersey man who rammed his car into a synagogue in Brooklyn is set to be released from jail next week, after a judge handed down a sentence that amounts to the time he has already spent behind bars. Dan Sohail, 36, of Carteret, was sentenced on the case a day earlier, closing out a prosecution that stemmed from an attack on a Jewish center earlier this year.
Sohail was sentenced to six months and a week in custody. Because he has been held in jail since the incident in January, that term was treated as time served, which clears the way for him to walk free in about a week rather than face any additional detention.
The outcome fell short of what prosecutors had sought. They had asked the judge to add another eight months to Sohail's sentence, arguing for more time behind bars, but the judge rejected that request and declined to extend his incarceration beyond the time he had already served.
According to officials, the attack itself was not a single collision. Sohail plowed his car into the Jewish center five times, repeatedly striking the building rather than hitting it only once before stopping.
The repeated impacts left a significant mark on the property, causing about 20,000 dollars in damage to the Brooklyn site. As part of his sentence, Sohail has been ordered to pay that amount back, adding a financial penalty on top of the months he spent in custody.
The case dates back to January, when the ramming took place and Sohail was taken into custody. He has remained jailed in the roughly six months since, a period that has now been folded into the sentence and that formed the basis for his imminent release.
With the sentencing complete, the legal chapter of the case is effectively closing. Sohail is expected to be released within the week, having satisfied the custodial portion of his sentence, and now faces the order to repay the roughly 20,000 dollars in damage he caused to the Brooklyn synagogue.