Jeremy Fistel, a 44-year-old man from Plano, Texas, found himself at the center of a high-profile criminal case this week after being arrested and extradited to New York City on charges that he made a series of violent, Islamophobic threats against Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor and a sitting state assemblyman representing Queens. The arrest and subsequent arraignment have drawn national attention, not only for the chilling nature of the threats, but also for the tense political climate in which they occurred.
According to The New York Post, Fistel was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on September 18, 2025, after a grand jury handed down a 22-count indictment. The charges include four counts of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, four counts of making a terroristic threat, seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime, and seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree. If convicted of the top charge, Fistel faces up to 15 years in prison.
The case against Fistel centers on a string of voicemails and written messages left at Mamdani’s state Assembly office and campaign website between June 11 and July 23, 2025. Authorities allege that Fistel, using untraceable numbers and anonymous online submissions, delivered a barrage of racist and violent threats. In one voicemail obtained by The New York Post, Fistel allegedly said, "You’re a terrorist piece of s--t, and you’re not welcome in New York or in America, neither is your f--king family so they should get the f--k out." Another message threatened, "Go start your car and see what happens. I’d keep an eye on your house and family. Watch your f--king back every f--king second until you get the f--k out of America."
Other messages, as reported by The Independent, included death wishes and explicit references to Mamdani’s Muslim faith and Ugandan heritage, telling him to "go back to Uganda" and labeling him a terrorist. One particularly disturbing message read, "I’d love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull," and another said, "All you and your Muslim f--k loser friends and relatives and family and wife and kids deserve to die." Fistel also wished terminal cancer and a painful death on Mamdani, his family, and friends.
Prosecutors say the threats escalated in both frequency and severity over the course of the summer. Mamdani’s staff first reported the threats to police on June 18, but the messages continued for more than a month. Investigators eventually traced the calls and online messages to Fistel’s cellphone and email account, leading to his arrest in Texas last week. The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force led the investigation, with support from the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, who ultimately helped extradite Fistel to Queens.
Fistel was silent as he appeared before the judge, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, and entered a not-guilty plea through his attorney, Todd Greenberg. Greenberg argued that the case against his client was "weak," stating, "while the messages were unpleasant, they were still free speech." Fistel’s family posted the $30,000 cash bail set by Judge Michelle Johnson, and he was ordered not to contact Mamdani. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 19, 2025.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz made her position clear in a statement Thursday, declaring, "Let me be very clear — we take threats of violence against any office holder extremely seriously — and there is no room for hate or bigotry in our political discourse." She emphasized that such threats would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, a sentiment echoed by Mamdani’s campaign.
In a statement provided to MSNBC, Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Mamdani’s campaign, said, "We cannot and will not be intimidated by racism, Islamophobia, and hate. Zohran remains steadfast in his conviction that New York must be a city where every single person—regardless of faith, background, or identity—is safe, protected, and at home." The campaign also thanked the district attorney’s office for "treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves," while noting, "Unfortunately, threats of this nature are all too common—and they reflect a broader climate of hate that has no place in our city."
The arrest comes at a time of heightened political tension and violence across the United States. As reported by The Independent and MSNBC, the past several months have seen a string of high-profile attacks on public figures, including the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in June, and the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in Utah just last week. Mamdani himself took to social media to express his horror at these acts, writing, "Political violence has no place in our country."
The threats against Mamdani also highlight the challenges faced by politicians from minority backgrounds. If elected, Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor. Since winning the Democratic primary—where he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo—he has faced a wave of racist and Islamophobic attacks, not only from anonymous sources like Fistel but also from prominent political figures. According to The Independent, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned Mamdani’s citizenship, labeled him a communist, and threatened to arrest and deport him if elected. Trump also suggested that he would withhold federal funding from New York should Mamdani become mayor, writing on Truth Social, "This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City. How can such a thing happen? Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!"
Mamdani’s campaign, which has focused relentlessly on affordability issues and combating hate crimes—including antisemitic incidents—has drawn both praise and criticism. Right-wing figures have accused him of being antisemitic due to his criticism of Israel’s government and his opposition to the war in Gaza, even as Mamdani has pledged to devote significant resources to fighting antisemitic hate crimes in the city.
Fistel, for his part, has a prior conviction from 2019 related to marijuana distribution in Brooklyn. Court records show he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served, with two years of probation and a $50,000 forfeiture. According to a letter he wrote to the judge in that case, Fistel grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Massachusetts and studied accounting at the University of Maryland before working for John Hancock Life Insurance Company.
The political stakes remain high. Polling from Marist, cited by NBC New York, shows Mamdani leading in the mayoral race, but with the contest tightening if it becomes a two-person race between him and Andrew Cuomo. The case against Fistel is now set to proceed, with all eyes on the upcoming court date in November.
For now, the city’s attention is fixed on the intersection of hate, political violence, and the safety of those who seek to serve the public. The outcome of this case, and the broader conversation it has sparked, may well shape the tone of New York City’s political future.
