Two fifteen-year-old boys were arrested after dozens of swastikas and antisemitic language were found spray-painted over a playground in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn twice in the past week.
The teens have been charged with aggravated harassment charges, and one has been charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime, according to the New York Police Department.
Police were first called on Monday when about 16 swastikas were found painted in red on the playground walls, slides, and ground.
On Wednesday, they were called again to find about 57 swastikas in red, blue, and yellow, as well as the “Adolf Hitler” in paint on the playground.
Official responses to the vandalism
Multiple officials responded to the images posted by the Community Board on X/Twitter.
NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote, “I am sickened by this antisemitic vandalism in Borough Park. Antisemitism has no place in our city.”
Governor Kathy Hochul of NY called the vandalism “a depraved act of antisemitism” and added, “There is no excuse. There is zero tolerance.”
Both officials wrote that the New York State Hate Crimes Task Force would work with the NYPD to identify those responsible.
The two teens who were charged in relation to the vandalism were arrested on Thursday, with the NYPD thanking the task force as well as the local Borough Park Shomrim group for their help in “bringing those responsible for the bias incident in our parks to justice.”