Costa Mesa police investigating after swastikas found spray-painted on car

Costa Mesa police are investigating after a car at an apartment complex was spray-painted with swastikas this week, authorities said.

The vandalism, which also included slashed tires and a broken back window, occurred in the 1700 block of Santa Ana Avenue sometime between 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 25 and 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 26, Costa Mesa police said in a Saturday statement.

A photo of the car has been circulating on social media, with a Tweet about it under the profile, StopAntisemitism.

No this isn’t 1939 Germany but Costa Mesa, CA 2023.

Residents of the Ava apartment complex woke up this morning to find a car spray painted with swastikas.

Antisemitism and hate based incidents are sky rocketing in California and throughout the United States as a whole. Those… pic.twitter.com/hFBVYyDawe

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 28, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Roxi Fyad, a spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Police Department, said police do not have a suspect description in the case. Officers took a report and investigators processed the scene.

“We condemn this act of vandalism and the use of this abhorrent and hurtful symbol,” the police department said in its statement.

An audit of Antisemitic incidents in 2022 by the Anti-Defamation League showed there were 518 incidents in California, a 41% increase from 2021. Only New York had more, with 580 incidents last year.

Of the California incidents, 178 involved vandalism, according to the audit.

Nationwide, acts of Antisemitic vandalism were up 51% over 2022, with those involving swastikas specifically up 37%, according to the ADL.

Anyone with information regarding the Costa Mesa crime is asked to call police at 714-754-5205.

Source: Orange County Register