Police say they've arrested a man for scrawling a swastika and an anti-Semitic slur onto his Jewish neighbor's garage on Staten Island.
James Rizzo, 37, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in front of his house after police identified him as a person of interest. Seventeen-year-old Halle Calabrese, one of the vandalism victims, said Wednesday it's "very upsetting" to know someone could have that much hate for someone of a certain religion.
The NYPD officers and a City Council-sponsored team cleaned up the graffiti Thursday.
Rizzo is charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime, according to police. Attorney information wasn't immediately available.
Capt. Mark Molinari of the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force said police were able to identify the suspect thanks to the community providing surveillance footage and information to authorities.
