‘Go on and start your car. See what happens’: Texas man arrested for terroristic threats against NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani

A Texas man has been arrested and charged with making terroristic threats against New York City mayoral candidate and state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Jeremy Fistel, 44, from Plano, Texas, was taken into custody on September 11 and extradited to New York to face multiple charges related to threatening messages sent to Mamdani’s office between June and July.

Fistel was arraigned on Thursday on a 22-count indictment that includes four counts of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, four counts of making a terroristic threat, seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime, and seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on $30,000 bail with an order of protection barring him from contacting Mamdani. If convicted on the top charge, Fistel faces up to 15 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, obtained by Newsweek, one of the threatening voicemails left by Fistel on June 18 included the menacing message: “Go on and start your car. See what happens…yeah, keep an eye on your house and your family. Watch your f—ing back every f—ing second til you get the f—out of America.” The message also contained a reference to electronic devices used by the terror group Hezbollah, with Fistel allegedly saying, “And check your beeper, too, terrorist f—. Beep beep.” Authorities say Fistel blocked his caller ID during the calls, but investigators later traced the messages to his cell phone and email account.

Timeline of threatening messages escalates

The threats began in June when Fistel allegedly called Mamdani and told him to “go back to f—ing Uganda before someone shoots you in the f—ing head and gets rid of your whole f—ing family, too.” Prosecutors say he also left messages stating that “Muslims don’t belong here” and called Mamdani a terrorist. The harassment continued through July, when Fistel allegedly submitted a written message through Mamdani’s website on July 8 saying, “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.”

The final threatening message came on July 23, when Fistel allegedly left another voicemail saying Mamdani and his family “deserve to die” and expressing hope that someone would shoot the assemblyman in the face. Throughout the messages, prosecutors say Fistel made numerous anti-Muslim statements and repeatedly told Mamdani to leave America. Mamdani’s staff first reported the messages to police on June 18, the same day the initial voicemail was received.

The arrest comes at a time of increased political violence in America, following several high-profile incidents including the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10. Mamdani, who is the Democratic nominee for mayor and would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor if elected, has faced persistent threats and harassment throughout his campaign. In a statement, his campaign said they are “grateful to District Attorney Katz’s office for treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves” and noted that such threats “reflect a broader climate of hate that has no place in our city.”

Mamdani currently leads in polls for the November mayoral election against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. The 33-year-old assemblyman from Queens won the Democratic primary in June in an upset victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. His progressive platform includes proposals for free city buses, rent freezes on stabilized apartments, and city-run grocery stores, all funded through tax increases on corporations and wealthy individuals.