Crime and Courts

Man Arrested in Hate Crime Graffiti Spree on Wall Street's Charging Bull, City Hall

Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the crimes in a tweet, writing, "This would be outrageous anywhere in our city but it's especially galling for it to happen outside the building where the people's work is done"

NYPD

A 39-year-old homeless man has been arrested for allegedly drawing or spraypainting swastikas on a number of iconic New York City locations, including Wall Street's Charging Bull and an entrance to City Hall, the NYPD says.

James Ryan has been charged with five counts of criminal mischief and four counts of aggravated harassment in connection with the spree. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

He is the man police allege spraypainted a swastika on the Charging Bull statue Tuesday night and drew the same hateful symbol on a pillar at City Hall's entrance on Beekman Street and Park Row the morning before that.

Ryan's spree allegedly dates back to Dec. 3, when he is accused of drawing three swastikas on a wall inside a construction site on Maiden Lane in the middle of the afternoon. The NYPD hasn't shared details on a possible motive for the targets.

The NYPD added two more incidents to the pattern in announcing his arrest. They allege Ryan spraypainted multiple swastikas on the front and side of 67 Wall Street on Monday and drew a swastika on an outside wall of a Fulton Street CVS Tuesday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the crimes in a tweet earlier this week, writing, "This would be outrageous anywhere in our city but it's especially galling for it to happen outside the building where the people's work is done."

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