What to Know
- A 12-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with scrawling swastikas and other hateful graffiti in chalk all over a playground in Queens
- Neighbors found the swastikas and hateful messages drawn on chalk on the playground of PS 139 in Rego Park last week
- Cops identified the boy and interviewed him and his mother later turned him over to authorities; his name won't be released due to his age
Police say a 12-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with scrawling swastikas and other hateful graffiti in chalk all over a playground in Queens.
Neighbors found the swastikas and hateful messages drawn on chalk on the playground of PS 139 in Rego Park on Friday. There was no school that week, so students weren't in the building.
Police said they identified the boy and interviewed him and his mother later turned him over to authorities. The boy's name won't be released because of his age.
The Department of Education said a custodian found the graffiti Friday morning and immediately contacted the NYPD, who arrived and closed down the playground as they investigated.
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz tweeted, "I am horrified, disgusted and nauseated, to say the least, of what I have witnessed today. Nazi imagery and anti-Semitic slurs were drawn at the PS 139 playground in Rego Park. I was on the scene today and most of the imagery has been washed away. Enough is enough!"
The hate crimes unit was notified.
