A former New York City police officer was arrested over the weekend for allegedly spray-painting anti-Semitic messages on buildings and cars in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.
A school building and 20 private homes and vehicles were splattered with red paint and messages of hate Saturday in what the Jewish Forward dubbed a “vandalism spree.”
Michael Setiawan, 36, a former police officer for New York City’s 69th precinct, was reportedly arrested Sunday and accused of posting the graffiti.
An individual alleged to be Setiawan was caught on a surveillance camera painting the door of the Bnos Zion Bobov School. See footage below:
http://youtu.be/Pk4KbugH410
The messages left on the buildings reportedly included swastikas and terms including “F*** you Jew” and “Jew cheap s***.”
The community was rattled over the incident, with locals and officials decrying the acts.
“Hate is not a Brooklyn value, and I repudiate any lowlife individual who would spread their prejudiced invective,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said.
Setiawan, who was reportedly sent for a mental evaluation following his arrest, is being charged with hate crimes, including 19 counts of criminal mischief and aggravated harassment, according to the New York Daily News.
A young boy reported the suspect after he said he saw him
spray-painting a car and took down his license plate as he drove away.
Setiawan’s father, Thomas, told media that his son suffered from
depression and suicidal thoughts after leaving the NYPD in 2007, though
he said the family is unsure why he left the force
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