Swastika carved into Tesla with Israeli flag in back seat on NYC's Upper East Side
Published in News & Features
NEW YORK — A vandal carved a swastika onto the hood of a woman’s Tesla parked on NYC’s Upper East Side — and cops suspect an Israeli flag in the car’s back seat prompted the attack.
The victim parked the car on East 85th Street near First Avenue around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, only to return around 9 a.m. the following morning to find the Nazi symbol of hate scratched into the paint, according to law enforcement.
Cops said an Israeli flag was visible in the car’s back seat when the vandalism occurred.
There have been no arrests.
The Tesla’s desecration follows a vandalism spree in Queens that saw religious centers, homes and vehicles defiled with swastikas and antisemitic slogans last month.
Among the properties damaged during the rampage was Congregation Machane Chodosh, located on 108th Street near 67th Road in Rego Park, where a swastika was spray-painted over a plaque honoring the survivors of Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom that erupted in Nazi Germany.
Hate crimes are up nearly 9% citywide, with 265 incidents this year compared to 244 in 2025, according to the most recent stats, which are current as of May 31.
Of those 265 hate crimes, 152 targeted Jewish victims or were antisemitic in nature, stats show.
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