NYPD investigating several incidents of Swastikas vandalism in Brooklyn

Three Jewish institutions in Brooklyn were sprayed with swastikas overnight, officials said.

A yeshiva, cemetery and Jewish social services organization were targeted, according to state Sen. Sam Sutton.

"Why? Simply because they stand for Judaism," Sutton said. "This is something completely unacceptable in our state."

The swastikas were drawn in red spray paint.

"I feel very angry"
The Magen David Yeshiva on McDonald Avenue near Avenue S in Gravesend was among the locations targeted. Flatbush Shomrim said surveillance video shows the suspect, and the NYPD confirmed it is looking for a male who fled northbound from the school toward Avenue S on a bicycle, adding the department's Hate Crimes Unit is investigating.

"I feel very angry, very bad," one member of the congregation said. "My grandchildren [are] over here, so I feel they are not [safe] over here."

"I'm afraid that people will put their head up and will be more confident, that it's more acceptable," a parent who lives near the cemetery said.

Political leaders react
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani posted, in part, on X, "This is a disgusting and heartbreaking act of antisemitism, and it has no place in our beautiful city."

Assemblyman Michael Novakhov said there has been a rise in antisemitism in the last few months and he's concerned it's tied to the topic of Israel's existence, which came up during the mayoral election.

"[Mamdani] must condemn this and it's good he did it. He must do it over time," Novakhov said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, said she will increase state funding in the budget for security at sensitive locations. She condemned the incident when she visited the yeshiva on Wednesday afternoon.

"Our community was assaulted -- assaulted by an individual so depraved of heart, so cruel and insensitive that they would dare to violate sacred spaces -- a cemetery, a center, and a school where children from preschool to 12th grade were gathering just in a few hours," Hochul said.

Mayor Eric Adams also responded.

"Let me be clear: This evil display of antisemitism has no place in our schools, our government, or our city, but it's sadly what happens when too many normalize antisemitic rhetoric," Adams wrote on social media. "As always, we stand with our Jewish community in Brooklyn and throughout all five boroughs. We are working closely with the NYPD to investigate this incident and keep New Yorkers safe."

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the incident.

"This heinous vandalism is not just an attack on a yeshiva -- it is an assault on the principles of pluralism and religious freedom that define our nation. We stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors to reject hatred and insist that law enforcement and government respond with urgency, strength, and compassion," CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said.