Antisemitic Vandal Arrested After UES Synagogue Defaced: NYPD

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An East Harlem man was arrested in one of two recent antisemitic graffiti incidents on the Upper East Side Wednesday evening, according to police officials.

Lenny De La Rosa, 21, was charged with criminal mischief hate crime and making graffiti at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue on Saturday evening, according to police.

NYPD officials claim that previously released video footage shows De La Rosa drawing antisemitic graffiti on a video screen outside the East 85th Street synagogue at 7 p.m.

Police offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to an arrest, but officials could not confirm Thursday if a reward had been granted.

On Monday, another spate of possibly hateful graffiti was found on a glass display outside of Temple Shaaray Tefila on Second Avenue near East 79th Street, police said.

While the second incident was being investigated for bias by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, police officials were hesitant at the time to say for sure that the message was explicitly a hate crime, telling Patch at the time that the vandal had scrawled "DEAD RIIIP" on the house of worship.

According to congregants, and photos obtained by Upper East Site, the message written at Shaaray Tefila was actually "Drop Dead" in an odd stylization with a skull and crossbones.

The same graffiti tag has been spotted in the neighborhood on other, non-religious properties, Upper East Side reported.

No arrests or charges have been filed in connection to Monday's incident.