ALBANY, N.Y. — U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin hit the campaign trail Friday, hours after an upstate man accused of attacking the Republican gubernatorial candidate was released without bail.
The congressman is continuing his “Unite to Fire Hochul” bus tour, making over a dozen stops over the course of four days, and he plans to address the frightening incident following a stump speech in Onondaga County, his campaign said Friday morning.
The candidate decided not to alter his busy schedule despite Thursday’s harrowing incident.
The Long Island lawmaker was on stage speaking to supporters outside of a VFW post in Fairport, near Rochester, around 8 p.m. when a man with a weapon in his hand approached him, swung the object towards Zeldin’s neck, and told him, “You’re done,” according to police.
David Jakubonis, 43, was charged with attempted assault in the second degree, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. He was arraigned in town court and released on his own recognizance.
Zeldin, who was not injured, predicted his alleged attacker would be freed in a tweet following the incident.
“His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were ‘you’re done’, but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy,” Zeldin wrote early Friday. “Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes. The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws.”
Video published by WHEC-TV show a man wearing sunglasses and a green Iraqi veteran hat holding what appears to be brass knuckles with sharpened points as he approached Zeldin on stage.
In the video, a group including GOP lieutenant governor candidate and former NYPD deputy inspector Alison Esposito pull the man, and Zeldin, to the ground.
Jakubonis is an Army veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2009 as a medical laboratory technician. Some reports indicated that he was intoxicated when he attacked Zeldin.
The congressman, who is an Army reservist, has made crime and New York’s bail laws central to his campaign as he seeks to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul, the incumbent Democrat who is seeking a full term in office after replacing disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo last summer.
In a statement, Hochul condemned the attack and said she was “relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody.”
New York Republican Party chairman Nick Langworthy called on Hochul to issue a security detail for Zeldin as he continues on the campaign trail ahead of November’s general election.
“This could have gone a lot worse. This could have really ended in a horrible way tonight and this is unacceptable,” he said.
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