A 31-year-old man was arrested Monday evening after allegedly spray-painting red words across engraved victims' names on the north pool panels at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan. Police say Jonathan Tijerina was taken into custody at the site on October 26, and he now faces charges of criminal mischief and making graffiti.
The vandalism was reported by police to have occurred Monday evening at the memorial, according to CBS News New York. A 16-year-old visitor from the United Kingdom, identified as Ed Duffy, told the station he witnessed the incident firsthand and said he saw a person spray-painting the words “just stop killing kids” over names, and that police arrested the person in under a minute.
A separate account from Yahoo News describes the graffiti differently, reporting that Jonathan Andrew Tijerina, 31, scrawled “juststopkillingkids.com” across the bronze panels rather than the phrase Duffy described. That outlet also reports the graffiti was caught on surveillance camera and that the damage caused exceeded $2,550.
Charges and Conflicting Details Still Unsettled
The exact charges against Tijerina are described somewhat differently across accounts. CBS News New York reports he faces charges of criminal mischief and making graffiti, while Yahoo News reports he was awaiting arraignment Tuesday evening on charges of criminal mischief, making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments. Under New York law, a person commits fourth-degree criminal mischief when, without the right or reasonable grounds to believe they have the right, they intentionally damage another person's property, according to the New York State Senate's published penal code. A separate statute, Section 145.60, is titled “Making graffiti,” though the available text does not spell out its specific elements or penalties.
The memorial sustained no permanent damage, and the graffiti was cleaned up, per the CBS News New York report. In a statement, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said security staff and law enforcement swiftly addressed the incident and that the impacted area was immediately restored. The organization also described the memorial as a sacred place of reflection at the heart of a rebuilt World Trade Center.
A Site Built Around Remembrance
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum states on its website that it remembers and honors the 2,983 people killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. The organization says the Memorial and the Museum provide places of reflection and remembrance, and notes that visitors from more than 190 countries have already visited the site, according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Vandalism at 9/11 memorial sites is not unique to New York. A memorial in Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania, was vandalized days after a ceremony marking 25 years since the terrorist attacks, according to CBS Philadelphia.
