Please Be Aware
Aidan Harding, a known member of a local neo-Nazi group has been arrested by the FBI for one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and is being held in custody. During his detention hearing, evidence was presented about his targeting of the Pittsburgh Jewish community with antisemitic flyers/stickers, his racially motivated extremism (namely his hatred of Jews) and his possession of 20 firearms. Please know that throughout this investigation, we were in communication with law enforcement and at no time did Harding pose a direct threat to any of our Jewish organizations or members of our community. We are grateful for community members who brought the stickering, flyering and banner drops to our attention. Please read this press release for more information, as well as the below article, about this ideology and actions, Western District of Pennsylvania | Crescent Township Resident Charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials | United States Department of Justice.
So far in 2025, we have logged 45 incidents in our Virtual Command Center. This compares to 36 for 2024. We continue to collaborate closely with law enforcement to monitor potential threat activity. Please continue to report any suspicious incidents via the Incident Report Form.
Security Matters in the News This Week
- Glenwillard man faces prison time on child porn charges (audacy.com)
- Jewish Federation, city controller challenge BDS referendum question (jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com)
- Trial opens in Germany for 4 alleged Hamas members accused of stashing weapons across Europe (timesofisrael.com)
- Pakistani to be extradited to US for ISIS-inspired mass shooting plot to kill NYC Jews (nypost.com)
- Antisemitic live streamer admits to making bomb threats against NYC Jewish hospitals (nydailynews.com)
BluePoint Status
BluePoint installation at Upstreet is scheduled to begin next week, 3/3. Riverview A and Riverview B installation dates are to be determined. Final walkthroughs at Charles Morris and Yeshiva Boys School are being scheduled. 28 of our organizations are online with BluePoint, with five more coming online by April 1, 2025. Police boxes have all been installed at 16 of our organizations.
Our BluePoint training video and refresher video are available on YouTube. These are useful for new staff or as a reminder for existing staff.
Security Resources and/or Training
Dave Wright Defensive Tactics Training (Women only)
Pittsburgh, PA 15217 United States + Google Map
This 4-part course, open to all women, will address these important topics: The mind of the active shooter predator vs. prey, situational awareness and survival mindset Basic self-defense techniques Weapons awareness and disarming techniques Reality-based training
Guardian Training
Please contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252 to schedule this training.
Situational Awareness, Active Threat, and De-Escalation Training
If you or your organization have not yet had these training modules, please contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252. All can be made available in person or via Zoom.
Request Training for Your Organization →
If you need Go Bags, Emergency Safety Procedures Flip Charts or medical supplies contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252.
