Two swastikas and hate-messages found in Midwood have some people concerned, and the 70th Precinct is using all resources to apprehend the perpetrator.

A total of three incidents a few blocks away from each other popped up in the past week – two of them not even reported to the NYPD for days after they were first seen.

The first unreported incident involved two swastikas which were scribbled in chalk on utility poles on Elm Avenue between East 13th and East 14th streets.

What was reported to police, was a swastika with the words “Hitler was here” also written in chalk and found on the floor at Kolbert Park basketball court near the corner of Avenue L and East 17th Street.

YWN spoke with Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte, the commanding officer of the 70th Precinct, who said police are taking the incidents very seriously.

Detectives from the Bias-Crimes Unit were investigating, extra units were placed on patrol, and community affairs officers were speaking to people from the neighborhood to gather further information.

Monteforte also told YWN that the police have assigned many additional officers to patrols Shul’s and the streets of the Orthodox Community over the Pesach holiday.

“The incidents are troubling, and police are taking this very seriously,” Monteforte said.

“The best thing for residents to do is to act as our ‘eyes-and-ears. If you see something suspicious, call the police immediately and report the incident. You may not realize it, but small tips help us apprehend suspects, and solve crimes all the time.”

YWN also notes that the last swastika incident in the Midwood section of Brooklyn occurred on a Friday night (November 1, 2009), and before Shabbos had even ended, Detectives from the NYPD’s 70th Precinct had arrested a local teenager and charged him with the crime.

Police are hopeful that this incident will result in a quick arrest as well, and that it is just an isolated incident.

(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)