New York Family Seeks Answers After Daughter's Death, Citing Suspect's Alleged Antisemitism

The family of Cara Trager, who died in May following a car collision, is seeking answers and urging officials to investigate potential antisemitic motives behind the incident. Trager, 71, and her husband Mike were walking on Union Turnpike in Queens when a vehicle driven by Dawood Faisal, 22, allegedly ran a red light and collided with another car, propelling it into the couple.

While Mike Trager sustained minor injuries, Cara Trager suffered severe head trauma and died four days later. Faisal, who reportedly did not stop after the initial collision, was apprehended by witnesses. He has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and other offenses and is currently held on Rikers Island.

The Trager family's concerns about antisemitism stem from alleged prior incidents involving Faisal. In the weeks leading up to the fatal crash, Faisal was reportedly captured on video twice vandalizing a kosher bagel shop in Fresh Meadows that displayed Israeli flags. In July, he was charged with a hate crime for criminal mischief related to these incidents.

Cara Trager's daughter, Rachel, noted that her mother had seen videos of the suspect's alleged actions against the bagel shop before her own death. The family contends that Faisal's alleged pattern of antisemitic behavior, combined with the location of the accident in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, warrants an investigation into whether the fatal collision was motivated by hate.

According to NYPD statistics cited, anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City have increased by 8.5% this year, with Jewish individuals being the target in 70% of all hate crimes in the city. The Trager family has reportedly requested a meeting with Mayor Zohran Mamdani to discuss their concerns regarding antisemitism in the city, but the request was declined.

Michael Trager, Cara's husband, had previously expressed concern about the city's direction and suggested moving, but Cara was reportedly unwilling to leave her Queens neighborhood. Friends and family remember Cara Trager as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who cherished her Jewish heritage and the state of Israel.