A homeless man was arrested for allegedly tagging several Lower Manhattan spots with hate graffiti.
James Ryan, 39, was taken into custody on Dec. 16. He was charged with five counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime and four counts of aggravated harassment.
It was first reported that at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, Ryan was allegedly at the corner of Beekman Street and Park Row when he drew a swastika on a pillar located at the entrance to City Hall. Ryan then allegedly fled the scene in an unknown direction.
The NYPD had released a video taken from nearby surveillance footage:
As the investigation unfolded, it was later reported that Ryan had allegedly tagged several other buildings. According to police, at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, Ryan allegedly drew three swastikas on a construction site, located at 10 Maiden Lane, before fleeing the scene.
Ryan allegedly struck prior to the originally reported tag on Dec. 13. At 9 a.m. that day, in front of a residence at 67 Wall Street, Ryan allegedly spray-painted multiple swastikas on the front and side of the building before fleeing the scene in an unknown direction.
On Dec. 14 at 4:02 p.m., Ryan allegedly drew a swastika on the outside wall of a CVS, located at 129 Fulton Street. Finally, at 10:09 p.m. that night, Ryan allegedly spray-painted a swastika on the Charging Bull Statue, located in front of 25 Broadway, before heading northbound on Morris Street.
