Three charged with hate crimes for vandalizing Brooklyn Museum officials’ homes

Three charged with hate crimes for vandalizing Brooklyn Museum officials' homes
A New York City Police (NYPD) officer stands guard near the finish line ahead of the 2016 New York City Marathon in Central Park in the Manhattan borough of New York
  • Three suspects were charged with hate crimes for allegedly vandalizing the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s director and board members with anti-Semitic messages, red paint, and symbols associated with Hamas.
  • The suspects, identified as Taylor Pelton, Samuel Seligson, and Gabriel Schubiner, reportedly targeted individuals with Jewish-sounding names and defaced properties in Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, and Manhattan’s Lenox Hill on June 12, 2024.
  • The case was investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, with Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez denouncing the actions as hate crimes meant to “intimidate, terrorize, and instill fear.”

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Three individuals have been charged with hate crimes in connection with anti-Semitic vandalism targeting the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s director and board members, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. The suspects, identified as Taylor Pelton, 28, of Astoria, Queens; Samuel Seligson, 32, of Brooklyn; and Gabriel Schubiner, 36, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, face a 25-count indictment that includes charges of making terroristic threats as a hate crime, criminal mischief as a hate crime, and related offenses.

According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly splashed red paint and left threatening banners at the homes of museum board members with Jewish-sounding names, accusing them of supporting genocide and war crimes. Surveillance footage captured the suspects defacing properties in Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, and Lenox Hill in Manhattan on June 12, 2024, with slogans such as “Blood on your hands” and red inverted triangles associated with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.

The investigation was led by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, with assistance from multiple forensic units and prosecutors in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez condemned the acts as “hate crimes” and emphasized the commitment to hold those responsible accountable. Schubiner has been arraigned and released without bail, while Pelton and Seligson are expected to appear in court next week.