News 12 has learned more information about the man suspected of destroying a large menorah outside of a Bridgeport synagogue last week.

Congregation B'Nai Israel president Rich Walden says a man who is not a member of the congregation asked to meet with a rabbi on Dec. 23. However, the rabbi was not at the synagogue at that time

Walden claims the man, who was caught on camera, knocked over the menorah early Christmas Eve morning.

The menorah was built by a Holocaust survivor 13 years ago.

"Certainly there's anger and hate involved when somebody does any kind of physical damage to property. What the person's intent was, I don't know. I don't know if it was antisemitic in nature or simply an angry man who didn't get what he wanted when he came by. Either way, the impact is that something that was important to us, something that was part of our traditions here, has been destroyed," Walden says.

Walden says the outpouring of community support the synagogue has received since the incident has been heartwarming.