Police are investigating a series of vandalism incidents in New York City, targeting the Palestinian Authority building on the Upper East Side and the homes of members of the Brooklyn Museum.
The first incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Wednesday on 65th Street near Park Avenue. Responding officers found the street littered with pamphlets and smeared with red paint. The leaflets accused the Palestinian Authority of being too close to Israel and the United States, with messages such as “long live the intifada.”
A nearby building supervisor, who declined to share his surveillance footage due to privacy concerns, reported seeing two individuals on the back of a U-Haul truck shortly after the vandalism occurred. Around 15 demonstrators were briefly present at the scene before leaving in the U-Haul.
Similar acts of vandalism were reported overnight at the homes of Jewish directors and board members of the Brooklyn Museum. City Comptroller Brad Lander confirmed that these homes were defaced and posted about the incidents on X (formerly Twitter).
Police are investigating potential connections between these incidents.
Official Responses
The vandalism prompted strong reactions from city and state officials. Mayor Eric Adams condemned the acts on X, stating, “This is not peaceful protest or free speech. This is a crime, and it’s overt, unacceptable antisemitism. These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason. I’m sorry to Anne Pasternak and members of @brooklynmuseum’s board who woke up to hatred like this. I spoke to Anne this morning and committed that this hate will not stand in our city. The NYPD is investigating and will bring the criminals responsible here to justice.”
Governor Kathy Hochul also expressed her condemnation, posting, “This is an abhorrent act of antisemitism and it has no place in New York or anywhere else. We stand with the Jewish community in the face of hate and will continue to fight antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head.”
Earlier this month, the Brooklyn Museum was the site of a pro-Palestinian protest that ended with 34 arrests, adding to the tension in the area.