Brooklyn man arrested for drawing swastikas at Penn Station
Pasquale Vargas admits to MTA officials he was responsible for anti-Semitic graffiti at main NYC rail hub
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A Brooklyn man was been arrested for drawing swastikas and other graffiti in men’s bathrooms at Manhattan’s Penn Station.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA, said in a statement Monday that detectives from the transit service arrested Pasquale Vargas, 65. He is accused of multiple incidents of hate-crime graffiti at Penn Station since February 28, according to the MTA.
Vargas admitted to writing the graffiti during an interview with MTA police, according to the statement. He was arrested while carrying a black Sharpie permanent marker in his bag.
He was charged with eight counts of criminal mischief in the fourth degree, which are being prosecuted as hate crimes.
“This arrest sends a clear message that all hate crimes will be thoroughly investigated, and we will prosecute those found responsible for perpetrating these reprehensible actions,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “We have zero tolerance for these acts of bigotry, which stand in direct contrast to the values that we New Yorkers represent.”
In November, Cuomo directed the creation of the State Police Hate Crimes Unit to investigate and offer assistance to other law enforcement agencies investigating potential hate crimes.
Last week, the New York Police Department announced that Anti-Semitic incidents are up 94 percent in New York City over this time last year.
Through the first two months of this year, 35 anti-Semitic incidents have been reported, compared to 18 through February 2016.
The Times of Israel Community.