Cops are looking for two troublemakers who hurled paint-filled balloons at statues of George Washington at the Washington Square Park arch early on Monday morning.
The NYPD released on Monday night video footage of the suspects wanted for the vandalism, which occurred at 3:20 a.m. on June 29 inside the Greenwich Village park.
The video shows one of the suspects throwing the balloons, filled with red paint, at one of the marble depictions of our nation’s first president.
Washington led the Continental Army over the British during the American Revolution. He would later play a pivotal role in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, and go on to serve as the first president of the United States.
Yet Washington’s legacy also included owning slaves at his Mount Vernon estate — something that has made likenesses of Washington a target of protester rage across the U.S. in recent weeks. The New York Post reported that another statue of Washington, in Union Square, was recently branded in graffiti with the words “slave owner.”
It’s not clear, at this point, if that had anything to do with the vandalism of the Washington Square statues on June 29.
Police did not provide physical descriptions of the balloon-throwers. One suspect had blonde hair and wore a white surgical mask, a black t-shirt, black shorts and black-and-white shoes while carrying a backpack.
The other vandal wore a full face mask, a black t-shirt, black jeans and black sneakers while carrying a gray backpack.
Anyone with information regarding the vandals’ whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
