Police have arrested one person and are searching for two others after anti-Israel agitators were seen burning American and Israeli flags just outside the Israeli consulate in Manhattan this week. Jahki Lodgson-McCray, 20, was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, menacing, disorderly conduct, and failing to use a sidewalk.
The NYPD confirmed that a mob burned both American and Israeli flags outside the Israeli Consulate in NYC, an act that the consulate condemned as a display of hatred towards Israel accompanying anti-American sentiment. Security efforts around the consulate have been increased to ensure community safety.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry labeled the suspects as 'cowards' and emphasized that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated in the city. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident where the suspects used an unknown accelerant to burn the flags in a bike lane outside the consulate.
The flag burning incident occurred amidst heightened tensions in the Jewish community due to ongoing pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel protests and acts of violence across the country over the Gaza conflict. Zuhdi Ahmed, another 20-year-old, has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly hitting a man holding a Jewish flag with a rock at Columbia University in April.
In a separate incident, anti-Israel vandals threw red paint onto the homes of Jewish individuals working at the Brooklyn Museum. Mayor Eric Adams condemned the act as overt antisemitism and emphasized that such actions will not be tolerated in New York City. The NYPD is investigating the vandalism and is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
