Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Toms River Park Probed As Bias Crime

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- The discovery of threatening anti-Semitic graffiti that included the words "Burn the Jews" at the playground at Riverwood Park has drawn the condemnation of Toms River officials and sparked a bias crime investigation by the Toms River Police Department.

Toms River police were alerted to the existence of anti-Semitic graffiti on March 1, when The Lakewood Scoop published a report about the existence of the graffiti, said Ralph Stocco, spokesman for the Toms River Police Department. The report did not name the playground, and said the incident was reported to the Lakewood Civilian Patrol. Stocco said another news organization contacted the department to confirm the incident, but nothing had been reported to Toms River police.

Police then began working to identify which park and find the graffiti, Stocco said. It was located at the Riverwood Rodeo playground equipment at Riverwood Park, he said, and included the statement, "Burn the Jews," as well as several other foul words, all scratched into the equipment.

"Many (of the words) included obvious spelling errors," Stocco said. Within two hours the offensive phrase was removed by the Buildings and Grounds Department, he said.

“In Toms River, we have no tolerance for anti-Semitic attacks," Toms River Mayor Thomas H. Kelaher said. "We will not accept this reprehensible behavior. This action is being rightfully condemned and thoroughly investigated."

The incident occurred in the wake of growing tensions between local residents and the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood. The community's growing population has led to attempts to find homes in nearby towns, including Toms River, and has led to what Toms River officials have labeled unscrupulous real estate practices, including attempts at intimidating residents to sell their homes.

The Toms River Township Council passed an ordinance last week banning all real estate solicitations in the North Dover section of the township -- Riverwood Park falls within the areas covered by the cease-and-desist ordinance. The day after the ordinance was approved, a Lakewood man was arrested and charged with trespassing after he was found inside a home in one of the banned areas. He told police he had been told the home was in foreclosure and that he could look at it for the possibility of buying it.

In the months leading up to the real estate ban, there were reports by two media organizations of conflicts between residents in the North Dover section and members of the Orthodox community, with claims of people parading around in bathing suits to make the Orthodox members uncomfortable, as well as reports from residents of being harassed at their homes while spending the day outside with their children.

Stocco said an investigation into the graffiti is underway to try to determine if the graffiti "was done by ignorant teenagers or was of a more direct and sinister nature directed at the Jewish faith."

If a suspect is identified, the person will be charged within the limits of the law, Stocco said.

"It should be noted that in some instances, when a crime is of a bias nature, it is elevated to a higher level of prosecution and penalties," he said.

"As good neighbors we need to be ever vigilant and report suspicious activity in neighborhoods, schools and at work," Kelaher said. "Please call the Toms River Police Department if you have any leads. It is up to all of us to make Toms River a welcoming place to live, work and raise a family.”

"We urge anyone, whether they are a Toms River resident or not, to contact us directly if they observe any racist comments anywhere within our town," Stocco said. "Any reports made elsewhere are often times not forwarded to the police department and cannot be investigated."