Jason Plotkin was on a Zoom call in a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit when he heard the crashing sound of a pickup truck ramming into the building.
The 42-year-old witnessed the apparent antisemitic attack Thursday that caused a huge blaze and left only the assailant dead -- a Lebanese man granted US citizenship in 2016.
"I poked my head into the hallway. Saw smoke, saw staff running, and instincts kicked in," Plotkin told AFP near the Temple Israel synagogue, which houses a preschool that was in session.
"I immediately went into lockdown procedure in my office. I closed the window, I locked the door, and I hid under my desk," he said.Â
"At that moment, I was hearing a lot of bang, bang, bang, as I presume our officers were engaging the perpetrator."
Plotkin, executive director of Temple Israel, said that as his office filled with smoke he decided to make a break for the exit.
"I went away from where things were. I did see my officers through a window, actively engaging, but I didn't know what was going on and what they were dealing with," he said.
"But I trust my officer team, and I had to make the decision to run.
"I followed the protocols. I didn't go in a straight line. I zigzagged through different places, and I got outside."
- 'Smelled like a bomb' -
Plotkin said he learned the full extent of the attack once he spoke to law enforcement -- and immediately became worried for his colleagues and the more than 100 children.
"My first concern was our people inside," he said.
"We were actually about to start preschool pickup... and the officers asked me to keep the parents further back from the building.
"Certainly they wanted to rush in. But that could have actually put their children and our faculty and staff at risk."
Jen Lader, a rabbi at Temple Israel, said she witnessed chaos when she arrived at the building after being alerted by colleagues.Â
"It looked like a war zone," she told AFP.
Lader, 40, described "grabbing babies who were being schlepped across the street, and finding parents who were hysterical that their kids weren't here."
"The smoke was rising from the building. You could smell it in the air. A mile away, it smelled like a bomb," she said.
"It was crazy. I mean, people running around with their assault rifles and tactical gear.
"It was very scary and very surreal to have it be my home and my place, and the place where my family grew up."
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...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...
...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
CDT TUESDAY...
* WHAT...For the Wind Advisory, west winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts
up to 40 mph. For the Freeze Warning, sub-freezing temperatures as
low as 23 in the north and 28 in the south expected.
* WHERE...All of Central Alabama
* WHEN...For the Wind Advisory, until 7 PM CDT this evening. For the
Freeze Warning, from 10 PM this evening to 10 AM CDT Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Trees
could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Frost and
freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and
possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
Secure outdoor objects.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
To prevent freezing and possible bursting of pipes they should be
wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly.
Those that have in ground sprinkler systems should drain them and
cover above ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
&&
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...
...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
CDT TUESDAY...
* WHAT...For the Wind Advisory, west winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts
up to 40 mph. For the Freeze Warning, sub-freezing temperatures as
low as 23 in the north and 28 in the south expected.
* WHERE...All of Central Alabama
* WHEN...For the Wind Advisory, until 7 PM CDT this evening. For the
Freeze Warning, from 10 PM this evening to 10 AM CDT Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Trees
could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Frost and
freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and
possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
Secure outdoor objects.
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
To prevent freezing and possible bursting of pipes they should be
wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly.
Those that have in ground sprinkler systems should drain them and
cover above ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
&&
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