NYPD: Staten Island Man Arrested In Vandalism Of American Flag Murals
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A Staten Island man has been arrested for he vandalism of American flag murals, police said Monday.
Last Thursday, at least two murals were tagged with anti-semitic and hateful messages, according to the NYPD.
One on the side of an ice cream shop on New Dorp Lane was hit with a disturbing message.
"It was an anti-Jewish tag referring to German Jews," Dennis McKeon, executive director of a non-profit to help 9/11 families, Where to Turn, told CBS2's Valerie Castro.
Another tag on a mural on Hylan Boulevard referenced the artist directly.
The NYPD released surveillance photos and video of a suspect who they say spray painted the words "End the Fed," accompanied by expletives, on walls along Hylan Boulevard and New Dorp Lane. Police say he also wrote other hateful messages on the walls.
Vincent Rodriguez, 26, faces 11 counts of making graffiti.
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McKeon said the murals were painted in response to a proliferation of graffiti.
"When graffiti started becoming a problem here on Staten Island, we sat down and decided to find 50 locations on Staten Island, clean up the graffiti and get sponsors for Scott to paint flags," McKeon said.
"All over the place, they're fantastic," Staten Island resident Anthony Monaco said. "Some of them look like they're actually really moving."
Where to Turn had offered a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest.
