Boca Raton man arrested, accused of threatening to kill U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz in voicemail

A Boca Raton man was arrested Thursday, Oct. 22, accused of threatening to kill U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz in a voicemail left at the congressman's South Florida office, Moskowitz and news outlets reported. The man was taken into custody by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement a few miles from Moskowitz's Boca Raton home and was being held in the Palm Beach County jail, according to the congressman.

As of Friday, authorities had not publicly identified the man or announced the specific charges against him, and FDLE had not responded to questions from several news organizations. The arrest came 12 days before the Nov. 3 general election, in which Moskowitz, a Democrat, is seeking a third term in a newly drawn district against Republican Scott Singer, the former mayor of Boca Raton.

What the congressman said

Moskowitz announced the arrest in a social media post shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday. "A constituent of mine has just been arrested in Boca, just a few miles from my house, for threatening my life," he wrote, according to WSVN and WPTV. He said the man was in the Palm Beach County jail, that he and his family were safe, and he thanked FDLE and local law enforcement "for acting quickly to keep myself and my family safe."

Moskowitz told the Miami Herald the man had left a voicemail threatening to slit his throat, according to reports that cited the Herald. He said he turned the recording over to law enforcement, which traced the call. Local 10 News reported, citing the congressman's office, that the voicemail was left at Moskowitz's district office in Coral Springs, and that authorities confirmed the suspect allegedly threatened to slit his throat. CBS News Miami, citing a source, described the message as left at his Coral Springs campaign office and said it expressed an intent to physically harm him.

The congressman said his family is under heightened security, including a law enforcement presence at their home and additional measures at public appearances, WLRN reported.

Who made the arrest

WLRN reported that FDLE, the state's top investigative agency, took the Boca Raton resident into custody. Boca Raton Police told Jewish Insider that the department was not the arresting agency and had no information to provide. Moskowitz's post credited FDLE alongside local law enforcement but did not detail how the arrest unfolded.

Because the man had not been identified by authorities and his charges had not been made public, The Florida Press is not naming him. Under Florida law, a person arrested is generally brought before a judge for a first appearance within 24 hours, where bond conditions are set and the charges are read. The man is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Threats against members of Congress can also be prosecuted under federal law, and it was not immediately clear whether federal authorities would bring a case of their own.

Not the first threat against Moskowitz

The arrest is at least the second serious alleged threat against Moskowitz in two years. On Oct. 31, 2024, Margate police responding to a report of gunshots in a residential neighborhood arrested John Kevin Lapinski Jr., then 41, a convicted felon barred from having guns. A search of his home turned up five firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, two silencers, body armor, smoke grenades, a ghillie suit and tactical gear, according to federal prosecutors and NBC 6.

Investigators found a target list that named "groups to attack" based on race and religion, including a Jewish member of Congress, local synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses, prosecutors said. Moskowitz later said publicly that he was the congressman on the list, and that Margate police notified him on the eve of the 2024 election.

Lapinski pleaded guilty in federal court to firearm and body armor charges, including possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of an unregistered silencer, and U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith sentenced him in August 2025 to 25 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The timeline of recent incidents:

A tense week for South Florida lawmakers

The arrest came days after a suspicious letter containing white powder was delivered to the Sunrise district office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, another Broward County Democrat, prompting a response by hazardous materials crews, police and the FBI. Tests later found the substance was not hazardous, Local 10 reported, and similar envelopes have arrived at the offices of federal lawmakers in Central Florida and several other states.

Two days before the arrest, Moskowitz and Singer met at a candidate forum at Congregation B'nai Israel in Boca Raton, where antisemitism and Israel were central topics. Moskowitz, who is Jewish, as is Singer, referred there to threats against him, telling the audience to "listen to the antisemites who are trying to kill me," WLRN reported. Investigators have not said what motivated the voicemail in the latest case.

Singer issued a statement after the arrest saying threats and violence have no place in politics, CBS News Miami reported.

The race

Moskowitz, a former state legislator who led the Florida Division of Emergency Management under Gov. Ron DeSantis, was first elected to Congress in 2022. He currently represents the 23rd District, which includes Boca Raton, but switched to the new 25th District after the Legislature's 2026 redistricting made his old seat far more Republican. Singer served as Boca Raton mayor from 2018 to 2026.

The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rate the 25th District race Lean Democratic, and Inside Elections calls it a toss-up. Early voting is under way across South Florida.

What's next

The key open questions are the man's identity, the exact charges and which prosecutors will handle the case. Charges filed by FDLE would be prosecuted by the State Attorney's Office for the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County unless federal prosecutors take over or file a separate case. Details are expected to become public once the man appears before a judge and court records are filed.

FDLE, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, which operates the county jail, and the State Attorney's Office had not released additional information as of Friday. The Florida Press will update this story as court records become available.