Massachusetts Man Admits to Threats Against Jewish Children, Synagogues
John Reardon of Millis, Mass., has admitted to threatening Jewish children and synagogues. He faces three decades in prison. Photo credit: Attleboro, Mass. Police Department.
Reardon also called the Israeli Consulate in Boston 98 times between October 7, 2023, and January 29, 2024, harassing and intimidating the person who was on the other end of the line and leaving threatening voicemails, according to the criminal complaint against him.
Called Synagogue in Attleboro, Mass.
On the morning of January 25, 2024, Reardon called a synagogue in Attleboro, Mass., and left a voicemail in which he made threats of violence.
About 10 minutes later, he called another synagogue, this time in Sharon, Mass., and left a similar voicemail.
His messages to the synagogues included demands to “end the genocide,” as well as threats to kill children and bomb places of worship, according to the criminal complaint.
“If you can bomb their f**king places of worship we can bomb yours, if you can kill their children we can kill yours”, Reardon said in one of the messages, while in the other he claimed that “with supporting the killing of innocent little children, that means it’s OK to kill your children.”
After the calls, police arrested him.
Previous Threats
This wasn’t the first time Reardon made violent threats. In 2022, he left a threatening voicemail at a school in Framingham, Mass. and threatened employees at a bank in 2020, the complaint contends.
Comments by Officials
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement that people should not have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence.
“This defendant’s threats to bomb synagogues and kill Jewish children stoked fear in the hearts of congregants at a time when Jews are already facing a disturbing increase in threats,” Garland said.
He promised that the Justice Department would work to end thread against people based on their religious affiliation.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts, where Reardon was prosecuted, called the act “insidious.”
“John Reardon now stands convicted of inflicting terror on the greater Boston Jewish community by threatening violence against fellow residents of Massachusetts solely because of their Jewish faith,” Rearson said.
Faces Three Decades Behind Bars
If found guilty of all charges, Reardon could spend 30 years in prison – 20 for obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, five for a threat to cause injury and five more for stalking. Besides prison time, he could get an additional nine years of supervised release, along with a $750,000 fine.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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