Weekend criminal mischief spree includes spray-painted swastikas in and around Wagner Park

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The gazebo at Wagner Park was vandalized over the weekend with a spray-painted swastika, police said. FILE PHOTO

MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Police Detective Unit is investigating multiple criminal mischief reports which occurred over the weekend. Two of the five mischief reports involved spray-painted swastikas, and are being investigated further by detectives.

Four of the five incidents occurred late Friday night into the early morning hours of Saturday, October 27. The first incident reported occurred in the 100 block of Ash Street. The victim stated obscene words were painted on his front door after 11:30 p.m. on Friday October 26, 2018.

The next incident occurred near Wagner Park. The victim, who lives in Brookline, stated her vehicle was parked on the street near Wagner Park when an unknown person spray-painted a line across the passenger side of her 2010 Dodge Avenger. The incident occurred between midnight and 11 a.m. on October 27, 2018.

The third incident occurred on Oak Street between Harrison  and Prospect streets. The victim claimed an unknown subject spray-painted a swastika on a 2011 Toyota Venza and a line on a 2008 Kia between 8: p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday.

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5 incidents involving graffiti were reported over the weekend.

The next report was taken by Officer Aaron Stone of the Patrol Division, who responded to Wagner Park, located at 242 Myrtle St., at 10:30 a.m. Saturday after a man walking his dog contacted police. The witness stated the graffiti must have occurred during the overnight hours because he spent time at the park on October 26 and did not observe any mischief. Trash receptacles were overturned and random lines of spray paint were located in several areas, to include a painted swastika on the floor of the gazebo.

The last incident was reported in the 100 block of Walnut Street. The owner of a 2001 Chevrolet truck had random graffiti on his pick-up truck. This incident occurred after 9:30 p.m. on October 27 and before 4 p.m. on October 28.

In learning of the vandalism, Mayor Joyce Craig issued the following statement on Monday:

“Symbols of hate have no place in our community. Manchester is a city of compassion, a place that embraces our history and diversity. I thank the Manchester Police Department and the Manchester Department of Public Works for removing these images. Together, we stand against hatred and violence.”

There is limited suspect information at this time, so anyone with information is urged to contact the Manchester Police Detective Unit at 792-5500 with any video surveillance or information you may have regarding MPD Case #18-16676. You could also contact Manchester Police Crimeline at 624-4040 to leave your anonymous crime tip. If your crime tip leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the criminal mischief, then you may be eligible for a cash reward.

This is an active investigation, so there is no further information available regarding the aforementioned criminal mischief cases.

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Manchester NH Police Department

This press release was issued by Manchester, NH, Police Department.