Suspect arrested in Manhattan synagogue vandalism: NYPD
Aug. 17, 2023, 5:47 p.m.
Police say he used a marker to deface an electronic sign while members of the congregation were inside.
An East Harlem man was arrested Wednesday in connection to an antisemitic act of vandalism on the Upper East Side, police said.
Lenny De La Rosa, 21, was charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime and making graffiti at the Orthodox Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on East 85th Street. Police said he used a marker to deface an electronic sign while members of the congregation were inside on Saturday, Aug. 12.
The synagogue’s video surveillance system captured footage of a man described “with short black hair, a slim build, and believed to be approximately 25 years old” committing the vandalism, which police described as antisemitic. The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force was tapped to investigate and De La Rosa was arrested Wednesday evening.
Attorney information for De La Rosa was not immediately available.
Antisemitic incidents across the country rose 36% in 2022, according to an annual report by the Anti-Defamation League.