Did these vandals take Halloween pranks too far? Two juveniles came forward Monday and admitted they were responsible for scrawling anti-Semitic and racist graffiti around their New Jersey neighborhood on Halloween morning.
“Both juveniles are remorseful for their actions and expressed that they got caught up in the mayhem of mischief night,” the Woodcliff Lake Police Department said in a statement. “They stated that this was not done out of any hate just out of stupidity and poor judgement.”
But residents of Woodcliff Lake were appalled to see graffiti including the words “JEW” drawn in chalk around their neighborhood, which has a significant Jewish American population.
The outcry led Mayor Carlos A. Rendo to publicly condemn the perpetrators. “These images are disturbing and criminal. It is vandalism and a hate crime,” he said in a statement.
Rendo shared images of the scene, which also included toilet paper hanging off several trees occupying a significant portion of the block.
The perpetrators, who were not identified, are being disciplined with the guidance of the Bergen County Prosecutors Office Anti-Bias Unit.
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