On September 18, 2025, a Texas man named Jeremy Fistel stood before a Queens judge, facing a sweeping 22-count indictment for a barrage of hateful threats against Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. The case, which has gripped both local and national audiences, underscores the rising tide of political violence and bigotry shadowing American democracy in recent years.
Fistel, 44, of Plano, Texas, pleaded not guilty to charges that include four counts of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, four counts of making a terroristic threat, and seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime. He was arrested on September 11 in Texas by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force and the US Marshals Service, then extradited to Queens six days later. After posting a $30,000 bail and a $125,000 bond, Fistel was released but ordered to return to court on November 19. If convicted on the most serious counts, he faces up to 15 years in prison, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
The indictment stems from a series of violent and explicit voicemail and written messages sent to Mamdani’s campaign and legislative offices between June and July 2025. Prosecutors allege that Fistel’s threats were laced with Islamophobic slurs and targeted Mamdani’s Ugandan heritage. One message, as reported by Axios, stated, “You should go back to fcking Uganda before someone shoots you in the fcking head and gets rid of your whole fcking family, too. You piece of sht Muslims don’t belong here.” Another chilling voicemail warned, “Go on and start your car. See what happens… yeah, keep an eye on your house and your family. Watch your fcking back every fcking second til you get the fck out of America. ... And check your beeper, too, terrorist fck. Beep beep.”
Other written threats were equally graphic, including one that said, “I hope you get terminal cancer and die a painful death very soon. I’d love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull. Would be even better if you had to watch your wife and kids murdered in front you before they end your pathetic miserable life… I hope you all die painful sudden deaths. Do us all a favor and kill yourself.” Another voicemail reportedly declared, “Fcking terrorist piece of sht. All you and your Muslim fck loser friends and relatives and family and wife and kids deserve to die. You deserve to be six feet under the fcking ground. I hope somebody does it quickly, somebody shoots you in the f*cking face … I hope you get raped and murdered as well.”
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz minced no words in her condemnation. “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 said in a statement following Fistel’s arraignment. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force led the investigation and, in the wake of the threats, assigned Mamdani a police security detail—an unusual step for a mayoral candidate, but one that speaks to the gravity of the situation.
Mamdani, 33, was born in Uganda and immigrated to New York with his family at age seven. If elected, he would become the city’s first Muslim mayor. He’s widely considered the front-runner in the November 2025 election, leading by double digits over rivals including incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa. But the campaign trail has been fraught with persistent Islamophobia and bigotry. In June, Mamdani revealed to Gothamist that he’d begun hiring private security after receiving escalating death threats. “I woke up yesterday to a message that said, ‘The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim,’” he recounted. “This is what I see and read quite regularly.”
The threats weren’t confined to anonymous phone calls. During the final stretch of the campaign, a flier from a pro-Cuomo PAC surfaced, showing a manipulated image of Mamdani with his beard lengthened and darkened—an apparent attempt to stoke Islamophobic sentiment. Mamdani called the image “blatant Islamophobia,” though the PAC insisted the flier was never distributed.
In the aftermath of Fistel’s arrest, Mamdani’s campaign issued a statement expressing gratitude to the district attorney’s office. “We are grateful to District Attorney Katz’s office for treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves. 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 statement continued, “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.”
Fistel’s defense attorney, Todd Greenberg, did not dispute that his client made the comments. However, he argued that Fistel had no intention of carrying out any threats and that, while “not proper,” the remarks did not amount to a crime. According to The New York Times, Fistel told police in Texas, “I’ve never been in a fight with anybody. I’m not the guy, man. I’m just a regular guy. I know I didn’t sound like a nice guy on the phone.” Judge Michelle A. Johnson, presiding over the case, noted Fistel’s “significant” criminal record, including a prior conviction for conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
Fistel’s background adds another layer of complexity to the case. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in the Boston area, he attended private religious schools and was described by friends and family as a stabilizing presence who gave generously to charity. Yet prosecutors now allege that he turned to threatening an elected official whose politics and background he disdained. At least one threat invoked Israel directly: “I’d love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
The threats against Mamdani come amid a wave of violence targeting political figures across the United States. Just a week before Fistel’s arrest, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on a Utah college campus. Recent years have seen a series of high-profile attacks, including the 2022 assault on Paul Pelosi, the attempted arson at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence, and the fatal shooting of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. The climate of intimidation has led to a spike in threats against members of Congress and other public officials, with law enforcement agencies struggling to keep pace.
Despite the dangers, Mamdani has vowed not to alter his style of grassroots engagement. “Delivering a safe and affordable New York” remains his focus, his campaign said, even as he navigates the realities of being both a political trailblazer and a target of hate.
As the city looks to its November election, the case of Jeremy Fistel and Zohran Mamdani stands as a stark reminder of the challenges facing American democracy in an era of polarization and fear. But it also highlights the resilience of those who, despite the threats, refuse to be silenced.
