As the investigation into the anti-Semitic vandalism continues, the Manalapan Township Committee spoke out against these acts of hatred at their public meeting last Wednesday.

Each member of the Township Committee vocalized their disgust over the swastikas and various anti-Semitic text found spray painted throughout the Monmouth Heights neighborhood on Thursday, Sept. 6.

“Swastikas were painted on approximately 15 mailboxes, curbs and sidewalks, cars and signs and unspeakable, revolting words were painted on stop signs, fences and at the entrance to Monmouth Heights,” Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen said. “We take this very seriously and are especially saddened to think that something like this is happening in Manalapan. Bias crimes of any nature will not be tolerated.”

Cohen thanked the Department of Public Works, run by Alan Spector, for quickly removing the graffiti from the neighborhood. Three public works crews swiftly labored to erase all evidence of the vandalism by power washing sidewalks, painting fences, and removing signs.

“I consider these acts to be a hate crime,” Committeeman Ryan Green said. “There are no words strong enough to convey how appalling and how despicable this incident is.” Green went on to say that Manalapan is a united community that celebrates diversity and that any form of hatred-based crime is unacceptable.

Deputy Mayor Don Holland and Committeemen Jordan Maskowitz and Andrew Lucas also maligned the perpetrators of the vandalism.

Maskowitz, a liaison to the police department, stated that the police and the prosecutor’s office are aggressively investigating these hate crimes and that when the criminals are caught they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The Manalapan Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office continue to investigate this incident. They were on the scene immediately on Thursday morning gathering evidence and have been canvassing the neighborhood ever since for further information. 

Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni told Patch that the case is still under investigation and that there are no further updates on the case. No arrests have been made as of yet, according to Manalapan Chief of Police Christopher Marsala.

Cohen said that the police are paying closer attention to the local temples and will continue to do so throughout the Jewish High Holidays.

In an effort to affirm the sentiment that the area is a great place to be Jewish, the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County, a non-profit organization located in Manalapan, has been sharing their resources and working with local law enforcement to help Jewish institutions throughout the county strengthen their security, according to Keith Krivitzky, the Executive Director of the federation.

Teenagers from the Monmouth Chapter of the National Council of Synagogue Youth (NCSY), which is a modern Orthodox youth group under the direction of Rabbi Ariel Bannet, delivered honey and cards throughout the Monmouth Heights neighborhood on the evening of Sept. 13 for Rosh Hashanah. The honey was donated by Wegmans Supermarket in Manalapan.

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Anyone with information about this incident should contact Detective Dave D’Amico of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-620-2307 or Detective Thomas Mantle of the Manalapan Police Department at 732-446-8385.