More than three months after his wife, Cara Trager, was killed in a hit-and-run crash, her widower is seeking an antisemitic hate crime charge against the driver. Michael Trager, 70, alleges that the suspect, Dawood Faisal, 22, may have targeted his wife due to their Jewish faith.
The couple was walking to a restaurant on Memorial Day when Faisal, reportedly driving 75 mph in a 35 mph zone, struck other vehicles, sending one into the Tragers. Cara Trager, 71, died days later from her injuries. Michael Trager sustained physical injuries and described the profound mental anguish of losing his wife of 47 years.
Trager stated that the alleged actions of Faisal in the weeks prior to the crash are relevant to his motive. Faisal is accused of vandalizing a Jewish-owned bagel shop in the neighborhood twice, including an incident just two days before the fatal collision. The shop had displayed Israeli flags and banners.
"What I am alleging was that he was in a Jewish area, a very heavy Jewish," Trager told The Post. "And though he did not necessarily try to kill Cara Trager or injure Michael Trager or kill Michael Trager for that matter, it was a good likelihood that if he was gonna do that activity, it’s going to be more than likely hurt a Jewish person."
According to reports, Faisal was performing "doughnuts" at an intersection before running a red light and causing the crash. Police apprehended Faisal after he allegedly attempted to flee the scene. He is currently held on Rikers Island on manslaughter and other charges.
In addition to manslaughter charges, Faisal was later charged with criminal mischief for the alleged vandalism of the bagel shop. Trager has met with officials from the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, describing the meeting as "excellent" and the director as "very sympathetic."
Trager also expressed a desire to meet with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he noted has made past anti-Israeli statements, to urge him to publicly condemn antisemitism. "I want to see that he cares … I want to see that my fellow Jews can live safely and peacefully in a city," Trager said. "I want to be the mayor of all the people, whether he agrees with them or not. I want everyone to feel that they matter."
Trager acknowledged the difficulty in proving a hate crime motive but stated his intention to try and prevent similar incidents in the future. "It’s not helpful to be angry, 'cause I can't change things the way they are," he said. "But I can try to attempt to make sure that these incidents are few and far between."