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Burned Vehicle, Swastikas Spray-Painted at Selden Home

Posted August 13, 2010 by Ted Hesson
Categories: Suffolk

The home of a Hispanic family in Selden was spray-painted with swastikas and a vehicle in the driveway was burned early Thursday morning, according to Suffolk police.

The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, police said. In October 2009, the same house was vandalized with swastikas and anti-Hispanic slurs were written on cars at the residence, but Suffolk police never identified a perpetrator.

Newsday’s John Valenti reports:

Alex Robles, 32, who lives in the house with his mother, wife and daughter, said he thinks the graffiti stems from “a personal vendetta” against a family member. “We’ve never had any problems at all,” Robles said of the neighborhood.

Robles said he heard a noise early Thursday and found the 1999 Jeep Cherokee ablaze.

“I was awake,” Robles said. “I heard a loud thumping noise, and I got up to look. I looked out the window, and the Jeep was on fire . . . The room was glowing red and orange.”

He said his biggest fear was the safety of his daughter because the driveway is just outside her room.

“I want whoever did this to be found and be taken care of - to have them get arrested,” he said. “This is ridiculous, to get it to this level, to set something on fire - a fire this close to the house, to the room where my little girl is sleeping.

“That’s just not right.”

At this time, police haven’t made public any new leads related to the case. Regarding the most recent incident, Newsday spoke with Det. Sgt. Robert Reecks, the head of the Suffolk Police Hate Crimes Bureau:

In October 2009, someone spray-painted swastikas on the home’s garage door and slurs on residents’ cars that referred to the occupants’ Hispanic heritage, Reecks said. No one was ever arrested. “We exhausted all leads at the time,” he said.

“This particular residence is being targeted,” said Reecks, adding that the situation is “escalating.”

Tags : hate crimes, newsday, reecks, selden, suffolk

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