NYPD investigating hate crime after antisemitic note left on vandalized car

The incident came days after several outspoken anti-Israel Democratic candidates won New York primary elections.

By Jessica Russak-Hoffman, JNS

The New York City Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating after a woman discovered her vehicle’s tires had been slashed and an antisemitic note left on the windshield while visiting the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan on June 25.

“A 56-year-old female states she parked her car in front of 23 West 124 St., and when she returned, the tires were slashed and anti-Jewish remarks were left on a note on the windshield,” an NYPD spokesperson told JNS, adding that there have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.

According to a photo shared by advocacy group StopAntisemitism, the handwritten note left on the woman’s vehicle read, “Zionist rats aren’t welcome anywhere but Antartica [sic] or hell.”

“This is life for Jews under the leadership of Mayor Zohran Mamdani,” the group wrote.

The incident came days after several outspoken anti-Israel Democratic candidates won New York primary elections, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, who captured the Democratic nomination in the 13th Congressional District, which includes much of northern Manhattan, where the vandalism occurred.

Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, host of The Jewish World podcast, also linked the incident to the political climate.

“Not even a week after Darializa Avila Chevalier wins her primaries, and the hate is already flooding the streets of North Manhattan,” he stated.

Leo Terrell, senior counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, shared the photo of the note, stating, “This is in the United States of America!”