Toronto police have charged a 50-year-old man with criminal harassment and uttering threats after antisemitic messages and threats were allegedly directed at a North York community centre.
Crime Canada newsroomPublished Updated
A 50-year-old Toronto man has been charged with criminal harassment and uttering threats after police allege he sent antisemitic messages to a community centre near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West and later went to the centre and threatened people there.
Toronto police identified the accused as Thomas Andrew Hardcastle, 50, of Toronto.
According to police, the accused is alleged to have sent a series of antisemitic communications to a community centre in the area of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West, in the city's north end. Police allege he later attended the location in person and made threats toward individuals who were there.
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Police did not report any physical injuries in connection with the incident.
The accused was arrested on Friday and is charged with:
He is scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on September 3, 2026.
The charges have not been tested in court. The allegations against the accused have not been proven.
As of the time of the original report on June 14, 2026, no additional charges or further victims connected to the case had been publicly reported.
The case comes as Toronto Police Service data, as cited in CBC reporting, showed 42 homicides in the city as of December 30, 2025, which was reported as the lowest figure since 1986. According to the same reporting, police said major crime indicators in Toronto fell across all categories in 2025 except thefts over $5,000.
CBC also cited a survey in which roughly 72 per cent of Toronto respondents believed homicides had risen over the past year, and about 76 per cent said they felt crime had increased across Canada.
Broad crime statistics of this kind do not generally single out specific hate-related threat or harassment incidents such as the one alleged in this case.
This story was first reported by Denio Lourenco for CityNews Toronto.
This article is based on the official statement linked below. Charges are allegations; everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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