Police Investigating After Someone Painted Dozens Of Red Swastikas On Playground Slides

Vandals painted more than 70 swastikas on a Brooklyn playground over two incidents this week, with the New York Police Department’s Hame Crimes Task Force now investigating the matter.

Police first responded to Gravesend Park on Monday after someone painted about 16 swastikas in red on slides, walls and the ground, CBS New York reported. Officers found paint bottles at the scene.

Just 36 hours later, the vandals struck again. Police discovered nearly 60 additional swastikas painted in red, blue and yellow across the playground and handball court area. Someone also scrawled “Adolf Hitler” in paint. (RELATED: WATCH: Musk Hater Leaves Swastika-Marked Brick On Tesla In NYC Jewish Community)

The park has no security cameras. Community board members believe surveillance footage from nearby cameras may help identify those responsible, according to CBS New York. Crews spent hours Wednesday washing away the graffiti.

The NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information told the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) that officers responded to a 911 call Wednesday morning for aggravated harassment. The incident occurred within the 66th Precinct. Police later arrested a 15-year-old boy Thursday and charged him with aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime, CBS New York reported.

Same park different day. A day later and this is what happened. We are requesting that @NYPDHateCrimes pull out all the stops to catch these vile Jew haters. https://t.co/Fpmad1Y0KJ pic.twitter.com/46EbLKu4hK

— Community Board 12 (@BrooklynCB12) January 21, 2026

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of New York and New Jersey condemned the vandalism in a statement to JNS. “Parents should never have to fear their children will encounter vile hatred at the playground,” the ADL stated.

Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that the vandalism sickened him.

“Antisemitism has no place in our city, and I stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish New Yorkers who were targeted,” Mamdani said. “My administration is working closely with the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force as well as our Parks Department, and those responsible will be investigated and held accountable.”

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul called the incident “a depraved act of antisemitism” and directed the state Hate Crimes Task Force to assist the NYPD in an X post.

The vandalism targeted Borough Park, a neighborhood home to roughly 46,000 Jewish adults and 50,000 Jewish children, according to UJA-Federation of New York. The NYPD reported 576 hate crime incidents in 2025, including 330 antisemitic incidents.