Tires slashed on over 50 cars belonging to Jews in New Jersey
Residents of Lakewood say they discovered vandalism during Shabbat; police treating incident as a bias crime
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The tires on over 50 vehicles owned by Jews were slashed over the weekend in a predominantly Orthodox town in New Jersey.
Police are treating the vandalism in Lakewood as a bias crime, CBSNewYork reported Sunday.
Yitzchak Katz, a Lakewood resident, told the network he noticed his four tires were slashed on Saturday morning.
“As I was walking down the block, it was only the Jewish houses that the tires were slashed. That was it. It was pretty obvious,” he said.
In surveillance video, a hooded suspect could be seen puncturing the tires on a pair of vehicles before walking away.
DESPICABLE: Watch as the suspect slashes tires in Lakewood early this morning. Over 100 tires were reportedly slashed. Investigation underway. pic.twitter.com/RD4NGd93GQ
— The Lakewood Scoop (@LakewoodScoop) August 11, 2019
CBSNewYork quoted neighbors saying over 150 tires were slashed on a total of 50 cars.
“I don’t want it to be pushed under the rug. This is a hate crime, no matter which way you push it,” local Mordechai Yormark said.
It was not clear how the suspect identified the cars as having Jewish owners.
Police have offered a $2,000 reward for information identifying the suspect.
Lakewood, which has a large Orthodox population, is known for housing the Beth Medrash Govoha, one of the largest yeshivas in the world.
The Times of Israel Community.