Man won't be charged for leaving package outside Pittsburgh-area synagogue, police say
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) -- A man won't be charged for leaving a package outside a synagogue in Butler, because while police said his behavior was alarming, it wasn't criminal.
Butler police said they were called to B'Nai Abraham Synagogue on Monday around 3:45 p.m. for reports of a suspicious package. An employee told police that a man had dropped off a package and was rambling incoherently.
When police got there, officers removed the package and set up a perimeter. While the man had left before police arrived, they were able to identify and interview him.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Police's technicians determined the package didn't contain any dangerous materials. Officials didn't provide any more details about the package's contents.
"It was determined that while this behavior was alarming; it was not criminal. There are no charges pending," the Butler police chief said in a news release.
The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was the site of country's deadliest antisemitic attack on Oct. 27, 2018. A gunman opened fire, killing 11 worshippers. In April, a man was arrested for allegedly inscribing a hate symbol on a Pittsburgh synagogue, and police said they later found a storage area full of explosives in his apartment building.
A survey by the American Jewish Committee conducted last fall at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war found nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago.
