A sicko scrawled three swastikas on a Manhattan sidewalk, the NYPD said.
The hate symbols appeared in the rear of 420 East 61st Street on the Upper East Side at about 10:15 a.m. June 23, cops said.
Police on Saturday released several surveillance photos of the suspect, a 50-year-old 5-foot-9 man, weighing 160 pounds, with a medium complexion, medium build and sporting a salt and pepper beard. He was last seen wearing a baseball cap with the words ‘New York’ written on the front, and a dark colored long sleeve shirt with vertical stripes, authorities said.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
Hate crimes in the city are up 14 percent this year through July 10, with 343, compared to the same time in 2021, which saw 302 incidents, NYPD data show. Hate crimes in the 19th Precinct — where the June 23 incident occurred — are up 58% through July 10, up to 19 incidents from 12 the year prior, the statistics show.
The Anti-Defamation League reported 260 anti-Semitic incidents in New York City for 2021, including 106 incidents of vandalism, 90 incidents of harassment and 48 assaults, the ADL figures show.
Anti-Semitic incidents in the state rose 24% last year, with 416 recorded cases, including 51 assaults — the most physical attacks the ADL has recorded since it began collecting data more than 40 years ago. Attacks on Jewish institutions like synagogues and schools were up 41%.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)