Workers at Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe showed up to make breakfast and instead found a political message taped to their side door: a sticker reading "Pee on Hamas." Surveillance video captured a man walking up, slapping the sticker on the entrance, then leaving. Owner Fouad "Frankie" Asad said staff were rattled and stressed that the shop keeps politics out of its decor. Police responded, checked out the scene and reviewed the footage as part of a vandalism investigation.
According to News 12, a customer spotted the sticker on Sunday and flagged it for employees, who then pulled the tape. The video appears to show a man approaching the side entrance around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, placing the decal and walking off. Asad told the outlet the act felt targeted, called it "absurd" and said a man with the same description had earlier walked in and harassed staff, asking if they were Palestinian. Police sources at the scene said officers were treating it as a vandalism case while they reviewed the recordings.
Sticker Part Of A Wider Campaign
The Olde Brooklyn incident is not happening in a vacuum. Stickers with the same "Pee on Hamas" slogan have been popping up on poles and public fixtures around New York City and were reported to be sold online, often with a suggestion to place them low enough for dogs to reach, as reported by Yahoo. Some sellers have claimed proceeds would go to pro-Israel groups, and the images have shown up everywhere from Central Park paths to side streets, adding one more heated symbol to already tense local debates.
Police And Neighbors Worried
The bagel shop case lands in a neighborhood already on edge over recent bias incidents. In March, the NYPD opened a hate-crime probe after someone smeared feces on the door of the Islamic Mission of America in Brooklyn Heights. That episode, along with a reported roughly 25% jump in citywide reported hate crimes this year compared with the same period in 2025, has left local residents and small business owners increasingly wary, according to ABC7 New York.
What Comes Next
Police are still reviewing Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe’s security footage and have not announced any arrests. News 12 reported that it has asked the NYPD whether the case could eventually be upgraded to a hate crime. Anyone with information can contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS to submit an anonymous tip.
