Zeldin, the Republican candidate, was unharmed and his assailant was arrested at the campaign trail in Fairport, New York, 9 miles east of Rochester in Western New York. “His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were, ‘You’re done,’” the Republican politician tweeted, thanking bystanders who helped tackle the man, including his running mate, former Deputy Superintendent of the New York Police Department York, Alison Esposito. . “I’m fine… Luckily, I was able to grab his wrist and stop him for a few moments until others dealt with him.” His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were “you’re done,” but several bystanders, including Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes. The attacker will likely be released immediately under New York law. pic.twitter.com/wZEyIyrjFe —@leezeldin The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as David Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport. The motive was unclear. Video posted on social media by witnesses shows a man in a black baseball cap quickly approaching Zeldin from the side of the stage at the rally in upstate New York. Zeldin shoved the suspect before they both fell to the ground as several others tried to subdue the suspect.
Opponent of the Hochul campaign condemns the attack
Yakubonis, who is charged with attempted second-degree assault, had a gun in his hand and pointed it at Zeldin’s neck, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Photos from social media appeared to show an object with at least two sharp points. Members of the public and Zeldin’s campaign team restrained Giacubonis until deputies arrived and took him into custody, the statement said. The suspect was arraigned in Perrinton County Court and released on his own recognizance. My team briefed me on the incident at Lee Zeldin’s campaign event tonight. I was relieved to hear that Deputy Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody. I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms — it has no place in New York. —@KathyHochul A spokeswoman for Zeldin’s campaign, Katie Vincentz, said Zeldin finished speaking after the incident and thanked the officers who responded to the attack. “Relieved to hear that Rep. Zeldin was uninjured and that the suspect is in custody,” New York Gov. Kathy Hotchul, a Democrat and Zeldin’s opponent in the race, tweeted. “I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest possible terms – it has no place in New York.” State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy called on Hochul to issue a security detail for Zeldin to protect him on the campaign trail. “This could have gone a lot worse. This really could have ended in a horrible way tonight and that’s unacceptable,” he said. Lee Zeldin is seen in Baldwin, New York, on June 28, the night he won the Republican primary for governor. Zeldin beat out several contenders, including Andrew Giuliani, son of the former New York mayor, to be his party’s nominee in November’s general election. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Avi Small, Hochul’s press secretary, referred questions about providing Zeldin with a security detail to the New York State Police. Zeldin, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who has represented eastern Long Island in the US Congress since 2015, is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump and was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certification in the 2020 election. He has focused his campaign on fighting crime, but faces an uphill battle against Hochul. He will need to win over independent voters — who outnumber Republicans in the state — as well as Democrats to win the general election. Democrats are expected to focus on Zeldin’s vocal defense of Trump in both of his impeachments, as well as Zeldin’s objection to the 2020 election results.
