FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There is new information about a man arrested for an alleged assassination plot against U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida.
The suspect, John Lapinski, was taken into custody after his arrest a week ago Saturday.
At his Margate home, a truck remains in the driveway, and a cross and note addressed to his sister, who lives with him, are on the door.
Moskowitz made the news public in a tweet, revealing that police informed him Lapinski was plotting to kill him. Lapinski allegedly had weapons, body armor, and an antisemitic manifesto naming Moskowitz as a target.
A neighbor described Lapinski as seemingly fine. “He said hello; he seemed fine,” the neighbor said.
However, neighbors, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted the early morning arrest, seeing Lapinski in handcuffs. One woman mentioned, “I know he had maybe a little anger issues, generally with his family.”
The federal complaint states that Lapinski was initially brought to law enforcement’s attention for shooting on the block at dawn on Halloween morning.
He was detained under the Baker Act and further investigation revealed past convictions, including a 7-year-old restraining order still in force.
As a convicted felon, Lapinski was barred from possessing the Glock, shotguns, a rifle with a scope and homemade silencers found in his bedroom and a safe.
Moskowitz, a strong voice against hate and division since his election to Congress, has spoken out against the threat posed by such ideologies. In November 2022, Moskowitz said, “It’s division, it’s hatred, it’s demonization - it’s us versus them.”
