By Hank Russell
An East Meadow man was arrested on April 16 for spray painting antisemitic graffiti on a fence and a sidewalk at a location not far from the elementary school.
Sebastian Patino Caceres, 23, of 354 Green Avenue, was arrested and charged with seven counts of third-degree criminal mischief, fourth-degree criminal mischief. possession pf graffiti instruments and seven counts of making graffiti. He was arraigned at First District Court on April 16.
Nassau police officers from the First Precinct were patrolling the area on the morning of April 15 at 6:23 a.m., when a resident saw the antisemitic messages written in huge letters. The language could be seen from an elementary school and was scrawled over posters of the hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack.
Police also spotted antisemitic graffiti written on PVC fences of a number of homes along Cedar Lane and on the sidewalk of 1400 Prospect Lane. The messages contained offensive language towards the state of Israel and the people of the Jewish faith.
On April 15, Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin held a press conference in front of a fence on Merrick Avenue that was also spray painted with antisemitic messages. He was joined by Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Nassau County Legislator Tom McKevitt, Councilman Dennis Dunne, Sr., Councilman Chris Carini and Tax Receiver Jeanine Driscoll to denounce the vile graffiti and to reiterate the Town of Hempstead’s zero-tolerance policy against all forms of hate.
Clavin called the bias incident “a targeted attack against our Jewish neighbors,” adding, “I am appalled that we are dealing with hate-filled vandalism here in the heart of suburbia. East Meadow is home to a thriving Jewish community and this brazen attack on the Jewish faith is disgusting. Every resident of every faith throughout the region should be concerned about the sentiment.”