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5d ago

Two 15-Year-Olds Arrested in Antisemitic Vandalism at Borough Park’s Gravesend Park

Back-to-back swastika vandalism triggered a hate-crimes probe that has renewed calls for better security and education.

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Arrests Made After Swastikas Deface Brooklyn Playground; Council Speaker Visits Site
Mayor Condemns Antisemitic Vandalism at Borough Park Park
Tape sections off a playground in Brooklyn, New York, on January 22 after it was painted with dozens of swastikas.

Overview

  • Police say the playground was hit twice this week, with roughly 16 swastikas found Monday and about 57 more plus “Adolf Hitler” scrawled on Wednesday.
  • Two 15-year-old boys were taken into custody; one faces aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime, and the other faces multiple aggravated harassment counts.
  • The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is leading the case, using nearby surveillance footage and tips from Boro Park Shomrim, as the park itself has no interior cameras.
  • Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the ADL condemned the defacement, while City Council Speaker Julie Menin visited the site and highlighted her five-point anti-antisemitism plan.
  • City crews removed the graffiti and patrols were increased, as officials noted that in 2025 the NYPD logged 576 hate-crime incidents, about 330 targeting Jewish New Yorkers.