Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Yonkers Mayor During St.
Patrick’s Day Parade
As thousands of people celebrated St.
Patrick’s Day in Yonkers, New York, a 32-year-old man was arrested for making violent threats against the city’s mayor and police officers.
The suspect, identified as Rydeen Cola, allegedly posted the threats online just days before the parade took place.
According to prosecutors, Cola, a Yonkers resident, posted a picture of himself holding an axe on social media, along with messages threatening to crucify Yonkers cops and their bosses along McLean Avenue.
The FBI and law enforcement were concerned about the threats, which were made by a religious extremist who sympathized with terrorists.
Yonkers police arrested Cola the day before the parade.
Despite the threat, the St.
Patrick’s Day Parade continued along McLean Avenue with thousands of happy people in the crowd, most of whom were unaware of the serious threat.
Police officers searched the area, and bomb squad units and attack dogs were deployed to ensure everyone’s safety.
Cola has been charged with making threatening interstate communications, which carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison.
Yonkers police reported no major crimes during the parade.
