Federal charges filed after Albuquerque man targets synagogue, Jewish center

Federal prosecutors have charged an Albuquerque man after officials said he attacked Congregation Albert and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque in a matter of minutes, raising the stakes far beyond routine property damage. The federal case now signals that authorities are treating the June 2 incident as an assault on a religious community space, not just broken glass.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 25-year-old Rex Crofton arrived at Congregation Albert at about 4:31 p.m. in a silver sedan and used a tool to shatter the synagogue’s glass entry doors before fleeing after making an indecipherable statement. Roughly eight minutes later, officials said, he went to the nearby Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque, where KRQE reported he struck the doors with a metal bar. One report said children at the JCC were evacuated under protocol, and no injuries were reported. The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with help from the Albuquerque Police Department.

The federal charge matters because it changes both the meaning and the potential penalties of the case. The Albuquerque Journal reported Crofton faces a charge of damaging religious property and could receive up to three years in prison if convicted. Federal prosecutors have also pointed to threatening text messages sent afterward, including one saying he had hit two synagogues in a matter of minutes and would be willing to kill police officers who got involved, underscoring why investigators say the incident was handled as a serious threat to public safety.

For Albuquerque’s Jewish community, the damage lands hardest at places that are more than buildings. Congregation Albert, at 3800 Louisiana Blvd. NE, says it was founded on Sept. 26, 1897, and formally incorporated on April 7, 1902, making it the oldest continuous Jewish organization in New Mexico. The Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Federation of New Mexico share the same building, turning the site into a daily hub for worship, programs, and community gathering. Any review of doors, cameras, access controls and coordination with law enforcement now carries both financial costs and emotional weight for congregants who must decide how much fortification their shared spaces can absorb.

The case also fits a wider pattern of antisemitic intimidation that has made Jewish institutions across the country more vigilant. The Anti-Defamation League says 2025 was the third-highest year on record for antisemitic incidents since it began tracking them in 1979, and it reported 1,987 incidents targeting Jewish institutions in 2023. In Bernalillo County, the aftermath of the Albuquerque attacks is now tied to a broader question: how local institutions protect people while preserving the openness that defines communal life.