Abba Avrohom Bryski
Introduction
Abba Avrohom Bryski is a 35-year-old rabbi and educator from Agoura Hills, California, charged with murder in the death of Nicholas Lang, a 28-year-old Costco worker run down at the gas pumps of a new Camarillo warehouse store. Ventura County prosecutors allege Bryski deliberately drove his Infiniti Q60 coupe into Lang β who was painting stripes on the pavement β on the night of October 20, 2026, and that he personally used a deadly weapon in the killing: the car . He remains in custody without bail, and his arraignment has been continued to November 18, 2026 .
Background Information
Jail and arrest records list Bryski as a rabbi and educator, with no place of work noted; he identified himself at the jail as a rabbi at Chabad of the Conejo Valley, a center just off the 101 Freeway at Reyes Adobe in Agoura Hills, according to Malibu.FM’s report on the arrest . The Post reported he is the son of Rabbi Moshe Bryski, who heads Chabad of the Conejo, and that the broader Chabad-Lubavitch movement has disputed that the younger Bryski held any official standing within it . The Costco where the death occurred had not yet opened: its gas station had been trading since May, and the warehouse itself was scheduled to open October 30 β days after the killing .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged with murder β held without bail, not tried. Bryski faces a felony murder count under Penal Code 187(a), a special allegation that he personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, and a misdemeanor count of resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer. These are charging allegations: he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty .
The killing unfolded at around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the gas station on West Ventura Boulevard attached to the Costco in Camarillo, northwest of Los Angeles, when deputies were called about a pedestrian struck near the pumps . The victim was Nicholas Lang, 28, of Modesto, who was in the process of painting stripes on the pavement of the parking lot when, per the District Attorney’s Office, Bryski drove his Infiniti Q60 coupe at him “intentionally” and struck him; Lang was transported to Ventura County Medical Center and there succumbed to his injuries . Witnesses at the scene directed arriving deputies to the driver of the vehicle β still sitting in it nearby, per early reports β who was detained and identified as Abba Bryski, 35, of Agoura Hills, and later booked into the Ventura County Jail on one count of murder .
The sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau assumed responsibility for the investigation, treating the incident as a homicide . On October 26, District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced the felony complaint β case number 2026031288, court number 26CF102767 β charging murder under Penal Code 187(a) with the special allegation of personal use of a deadly and dangerous weapon under Penal Code 12022(b)(1), plus a misdemeanor count under Penal Code 148(a)(1) of resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer; Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting . “The victim was at work, painting lines on a new parking lot, when his life was tragically cut short by an individual whose alleged actions demonstrated a shocking disregard for human life,” Nasarenko said in a statement. “We are committed to holding the defendant accountable and pursuing justice for the victim and his loved ones” .
What remains unsaid may matter most in this case: prosecutors have not disclosed whether or how Bryski and Lang knew each other, and detectives have not described the circumstances immediately preceding the fatal impact. Malibu.FM reported it was not clear whether some sort of dispute at the gas pumps preceded the killing, and the investigation remains ongoing .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The Post’s billing of the arrest β “Rabbi charged with murder after man fatally struck at SoCal Costco” β set the story’s frame from the first hours . The victim’s identity transformed the story’s reach: an obituary site created for Lang drew tributes and an Arbor Day Foundation tree-planting fund in his memory, and his wife shared 25 photos there β the couple at a Disney-themed park, him carrying a child, one appearing to capture the proposal . Deputies publicly urged anyone with information to come forward, publishing tip lines for Detective Erik Hernandez at 805-384-4729 and Detective Gerardo Cruz at 805-384-4726 . The Chabad dimension has been the other focal point: Malibu.FM reported Bryski identified himself at the jail as a rabbi at Chabad of the Conejo Valley, while the Post reported the movement itself has disputed that he held official standing within it β a distinction his jail records do not resolve . No statement in Bryski’s defense from him, his family or an attorney had been reported as of the latest coverage.
Current Status
Bryski remains in custody without bail after appearing in court, where his arraignment was continued to November 18, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13 of the Ventura County Superior Court; the complaint against him is docketed as case 26CF102767 . Earlier reports had him held on $3 million bail ahead of that initial appearance; the District Attorney’s announcement, two days later, states he is held without bail as the case proceeds . The murder charge and the deadly-weapon allegation are unproven allegations: Bryski is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Whatever the courts decide, the record now splits Bryski’s life around the night of October 20: jail records that once listed a rabbi and educator now sit beside a murder complaint alleging he turned his own car into the weapon, and the movement his family helped build in the Conejo Valley has publicly disputed that he held official standing within it . For Lang’s family β a 28-year-old hundreds of miles from his Modesto home, struck down at a job that had him painting lines on a lot that had not yet opened β the tributes his widow posted stand against the account prosecutors intend to prove in court .
Sources
- “California rabbi intentionally ran over man at Costco gas station, prosecutors allege” β New York Post: source
- “Agoura Hills Man Charged with Murder at Camarillo Costco” β Ventura County District Attorney: source
- “Rabbi Abba Bryski charged with murder after Costco incident in California” β New York Post: source
- “LA County rabbi charged with murder after fatal crash at Ventura County Costco gas pumps” β CBS Los Angeles: source
- “Driver arrested on murder charges after man struck and killed at Costco parking lot in Ventura County” β ABC7: source
- “Agoura Hills rabbi charged with murder in Costco killing” β Malibu.FM: source
- “Rabbi charged with murder after man fatally struck at SoCal Costco” β NY Post on X: source