The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is now looking for a suspect who allegedly drew a swastika on an SUV in Middle Village late last month.
Police from the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood reported that on the afternoon of Saturday, Mar. 30, an unidentified man approached a Honda Pilot parked in front of a home at 66-65 70th St., just north of All Saints Cemetery and drew the swastika on the rear bumper of the vehicle at around 5:45 p.m..
The suspect fled the location on foot in an unknown direction and there were no reports of any injuries during the incident, police said.
The NYPD released a surveillance video on Wednesday that shows the suspect, who is wanted in the aggravated harassment hate crime investigation, wandering aimlessly inside a nearby bodega. The suspect is described as having a light complexion with a slim build and approximately 5’6” tall. He has dark shaggy hair and he was wearing black-rimmed eyeglasses, a white hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and a black backpack.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Apr. 7, the 104th Precinct has reported 3 hate crimes so far in 2024 after they had none reported at the same point last year, according to the most recent CompStat report.
