Swastikas found etched into playground equipment in Cedarhurst, police say

Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst, where three swastikas were... — Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst, where three swastikas were discovered Sunday night scrawled on playground equipment, according to the Nassau Police. who are investigating. Credit: Danielle Finkelstein

By Robert Brodskyrobert.brodsky@newsday.com @BrodskyRobertUpdated July 24, 2023

Nassau Police are investigating a bias incident after three swastikas were found scratched into playground equipment Sunday night at a park in Cedarhurst.

Police said a man walking through Andrew J. Parise Park on Cedarhurst Avenue about 8:10 p.m. found the swastikas, each measuring about 5-by-5 inches, in the playground and then called police.

Assemb. Ari Brown (R-Cedarhurst) said the incident is disturbing but not altogether surprising.

"Jews are always an easy target," said Brown, who is Jewish and also doubles as the village's deputy mayor.

The village, he said, plans to put up surveillance cameras and increase lighting near the park.

Data from the State Division of Criminal Justice Services shows that reported hate crimes are on the rise in Nassau County, with incidents targeting Jewish people up from 12 in 2021 to 31 last year.

The hate crimes mirror a statewide pattern, according to an April report from the Anti-Defamation League

The report found that 416 antisemitic incidents took place in the state in 2021, up from 336 in 2020. New York State accounted for 15% of all antisemitic incidents nationwide last year.

Long Island had 56 such incidents in 2020, compared with 69 last year, according to the ADL, which considers an incident to be swastika graffiti, antisemitic harassment or vandalism.

Fourth Squad detectives are investigating the Cedarhurst incident and anyone with information is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

With John Valenti