Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage who was freed in May after 584 days in Hamas captivity, was honored Monday with a street named for him in the borough in which he grew up.

“To have a road named here in the place I call home is something I never would have imagined,” Alexander said during a ceremony before the street sign was unveiled. “Every time I see this road, I will remember not just the struggle but the love and unity that brought me back home.”

Alexander, who was accompanied by family, community members and local officials,  was born in Israel and grew up in Tenafly, N.J., where he graduated from high school. He returned to Israel and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces. Hamas terrorists captured the dual U.S.-Israeli citizen during the Oct. 7 attacks.

“A year and a half in captivity was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, but I never felt completely alone,” Alexander said at the event. “I know my family and my town and so many people were fighting for me, keeping my name alive and pushing for my return. That gave me strength.”