The man who reportedly tried to stab Republican candidate for New York governor Lee Zeldin Thursday was released from jail shortly after his arrest on a felony charge.
David Jakubonis, 43, was arraigned in Perinton Town Court on a count of second-degree attempted assault but was released on his own recognizance, reported the New York Post.
After the attack, Zeldin said he expected the assailant to be released immediately.
“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,” he tweeted.
“Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes. The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws,” Zeldin added.
Zeldin was delivering a speech about bail reform New York when he was confronted by Jakubonis.
The attacker was said to be drunk at the time and seen on video jumping on stage and lunging at the candidate with an unknown weapon with two blades.
“This guy tried to stab a man running for Governor and is back on the streets?!?” tweeted Desi Cuellar, a GOP congressional candidate. “New York has truly become a sick place run by criminals!”
“My team has informed me about the incident at Lee Zeldin’s campaign event tonight. Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible — it has no place in New York,” she added.
Despite Hochul’s addressing of the incident, many accused her earlier in the day of encouraging people to “stalk” and incite hatred of Zeldin.
A media release the Hochul campaign put out early Thursday was headlined: “‘Big Lie’ Lee Kicks Off Statewide ‘MAGA Republican’ Bus Tour. Joined by Far-Right Extremists, ‘Rolex’ Rob Astorino, and Trump’s Chick-fil-A runner Andrew Giuliani”.
It had noted the date and times of Zeldin’s events to RSVP, encouraging people “to hear Zeldin’s plans to put more guns on our streets and in our communities, ensuring New Yorkers are less safe”.