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EXCLUSIVE – Before a tunnel under a New York City synagogue was national news, an X user – @FrumTikTok – posted a video thread showing extremist Orthodox Hasidic students clashing with the NYPD.
David, whose last name is being withheld for his safety, had no clue that his post would go viral and spiral into personal threats against him and fuel antisemitic conspiracies and propaganda.
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“I started a thread with videos and a brief explanation of what was going on. I thought it was a small story, and maybe a few people would be interested, but lo and behold, it took off like crazy,” David told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
“I shut my phone off for the night and when I woke up, the thread had over 50 million combined views, and the news media was starting to report the story.”
NYC RABBI HORRIFIED WATCHING ‘EXTREMIST STUDENTS’ WHO REPORTEDLY HIRED MIGRANTS TO DIG TUNNEL UNDER SYNAGOGUE
Hasidic Jewish students observe as law enforcement establishes a perimeter around a breached wall in the synagogue that led to a tunnel dug by students.(Bruce Schaff/AP)
The Brooklyn synagogue at the center of attention – the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters – is one of the holiest houses of worship for people who follow the Chabad-Lubavitch faith.
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It’s a small, insular sect of the Orthodox movement that only about 16% of American Jews follow, according to the Jewish news outlet Forward.
WILD CLASHES BETWEEN NYPD, AGITATORS OVER UNDERGROUND SYNAGOGUE TUNNELS CAUGHT ON CAMERA, GO VIRAL
Last week, America watched sensational videos of a wild riot and a dark, “secret” tunnel under what’s known as “770,” after its 770 Eastern Parkway address, and concocted conspiracy theories about human trafficking networks and child sacrifices.
Those nonsensical theories spread throughout social media as facts, and were used as antisemitic propaganda, David said.
“Age-old antisemitic conspiracy theories were being spread with hate-filled rhetoric percolating in both extremist and mainstream spaces and across the ideological spectrum,” he said. “But that’s when I discovered the pitfalls of social media, and X in particular.”
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World Headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, located on Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York.(Google Street View)
As Fox News Digital previously reported, a group of “extremist students,” as Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson called them, believed they were carrying out a decades-long vision by the former head of the Chabad movement, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
Potential expansion projects have never come to fruition because of decades of litigation between mainstream members of the Chabad movement and a splinter sect, as each side claims they’re the rightful owner of “770.”
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But shocking videos of an underground tunnel and wild clashes with police “turned a story about expansion and ownership of a Holy Synagogue into heinous rhetoric that dates back to the Middle Ages,” David said.
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The hate and threats got so out of hand, David deleted the entire thread and explained why in a Jan. 9 tweet: “I will NOT allow my account to be used by antisemitic Jew haters to promote their pathetic hatred of religious Jews.”
WATCH DAVID’S VIDEO OF SOMEONE GIVING A TOUR OF 770
“When people started telling me that known antisemites were retweeting my videos, I made the decision to delete the entire thread,” David said during his chat with Fox News Digital.
“I wasn’t going to let these Jew haters use my account to spread their hateful and disgusting venom.”
But the dam had already broken at that point, David said, and hate continued to flood his timeline and messages.
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One person told him, “Why are you defending Pedos(sic)? Cause they have the same filthy blood like yours? Delete the Christian from your bio. We Orthodox Christians DEFEND our children, we don’t sacrifice children.
“If you decided to delete the thread about the tunnels of your peers used for satanist rituals and child trafficking it means you are a part of the scheme. Where is your Holy Place? Let’s dig under it, shall we? F—-n child predators. Your day is coming. Y’all pushed it and pushed it and everyone accepted your crimes. But people will stand for their children. And y’all gonna get to prison. And you know what they do in prison to child offenders, right?”
A majority of rabbis, including several who spoke to Fox News Digital or sent emailed statements, denounced the students’ actions. In total, nine students were arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to the NYPD.
NYPD officers arrest a student after he was removed from a breach in the wall of the synagogue that led to a tunnel dug by students.(Bruce Schaff/AP)
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Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky said they’re “pained by the vandalism of a group of young agitators” in a statement on behalf of the Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters.(Chabad Lubavitch HQ/X)
David said he created his account “to spread entertaining and insightful videos, with a good dose of Jewish humor and wit mixed in.”
“I was never in it for the fame,” he said.
Before the riot in 770, he had about 11,400 followers, which swelled to nearly 17,000 followers, and none of his tweets had more than 600,000 views, which was a drop in the ocean compared to the 50 million-plus that watched his video over about 24 hours.
“The fight against antisemitism, terror and hate is not a Jewish fight alone,” he said. “A world that has no place for Jews and Israel, has no place for humanity. Every good person will suffer in the end. So all good people must unite to win this war.”
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When asked if he regrets posting the videos, David said he doesn’t because the videos “exposed many of the pro-Palestinian accounts as nothing more than plain-old Jew haters, who propagate age-old antisemitic conspiracy theories.”
“The only thing that needs to change, is X has to do a better job of not allowing these antisemites to continually spread their hateful and disgusting antisemitic conspiracy theories.”
When Priscilla R. Mafalda left for Florida last week, she sounded exhausted but happy.
“Friend, I’m very tired, but thank God I’m finally taking some vacation time. I’m going to Florida,” she told her work friend, Thaiz Ramos, on Thursday.
Ramos said Mafalda promised she would call when she arrived.
“I am still waiting for that call,” Ramos said Sunday afternoon, “because part of me still cannot believe she is gone.”
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Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, was identified over the weekend as the fifth person killed in the devastating Interstate 95 crash in Virginia that also claimed the lives of four members of the Doncev family from Greenfield, Massachusetts. Authorities said Mafalda was traveling in a separate vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, when it was struck by a passenger bus that failed to slow for traffic near a work zone.
Friends say Mafalda, who was born in Inhapim, Brazil, had built a life in Massachusetts. A GoFundMe, which refers to her as Priscilla Ramos, no relation to Thaiz Ramos, was created after her death and says relatives are raising money to return her body to Brazil for burial.
The GoFundMe said that her husband, Igor Ernesto, was also in the vehicle and hospitalized. Mafalda’s family and GoFundMe organizers could not immediately be reached for comment.
By Sunday , over $14,000 was raised.
Ramos worked with Mafalda for years at a Massachusetts house-cleaning company. She described her as “one of the kindest and hardest-working people I have ever known.”
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Virginia State Police said the crash happened around 2:35 a.m. Friday in Stafford County, when a bus traveling from New York to North Carolina struck slowed traffic near a work zone, setting off a chain-reaction collision impacting Mafalda’svehicle. It forced her vehicle into the Doncev family’s Acura SUV and several others. The bus driver has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, with additional charges pending.
This is a developing story.
Sarah Rahal can be reached at sarah.rahal@globe.com. Follow her on X @SarahRahal_ or Instagram @sarah.rahal.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a recent move to their rotation, which has resulted in a surprising move from one player.
The Pirates announced that they placed right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski on the restricted list and recalled right-handed pitcher Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of their series finale vs. the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park on May 31.
A player going on the restricted list means that they either left the team without a valid reason, or could be announcing retirement, but may consider returning in the near future to play later on.
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It is a shocking decision, as there was no indication something like this was happening and makes a big change to the Pirates pitching staff moving forward.
Why Pirates May Have Placed Mlodzinski on Restricted List
This case with Mlodzinski is likely the former, although not confirmed, as he was in the clubhouse ahead of the game, so something may have happened closer to first pitch.
Pirates manager Don Kelly announced postgame in the 10-9 win on May 30 that Mlodzinski would follow right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft in the series finale.
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Mlodzinski was a part of the Pirates starting rotation for the first two months of the season, but Jared Jones recently came off the injured list and took his role in the rotation, with the Pirates sending Mlodzinski back to the bullpen.
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May 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
He said following the decision that he would talk with his agency and those close to him, so he may have decided to depart the team after this.
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“Obviously just excited to have Jared back with us,” Mlodzinski said. “I can honestly say I’m just still communicating with the organization and the people in my corner, whether that’s my family or my agency, about what is next. I really don’t have any comments after that.”
How This Changes Pirates Pitching Staff
Mlodzinski has been an effective relief pitcher with the Pirates, with a 2.63 ERA over 140.1 innings pitched and 94 appearances.
The Pirates had plans for Mlodzinski as a bulk reliever, but someone that can also fill any role, including in high-leverage situations and as a middle reliever, something the team has seriously needed.
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May 25, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski (50) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
His departure hurts a Pirates bullpen that has really looked for consistent arms that can get outs, preserve leads and give the team a chance to make a comeback late.
Sanders has struggled in his time in MLB with the Pirates, with a 9.26 ERA over 11 appearances, a .300 batting average allowed and a 2.20 WHIP.
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The Pirates can make a few decisions on Mlodzinski, who could technically still comeback, but it looks like they will trade him at this point.
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Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
ENFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) – Police arrested a Connecticut man on Sunday morning after he allegedly stole bottles and cans from a Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin.
Officers received a call at around 8 a.m. for a report of a larceny from a “Cans For Kids” donation bin at located on Raffia Road, according to the police department.
Police said they used used local surveillance cameras and municipal license plate readers to identify a vehicle and suspect.
Officials identified the individual as Joshua Wilcox of Broad Brook
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With the help of Wethersfield police officers, Wilcox was found and detained. Enfield police arrested Wilcox and charged him with sixth-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass.
It was also revealed that this is the second incident involving Wilcox at the same location, police said.
No further details were released.
Eyewitness News will provide more details as soon as they become available.