May 15, 2024 MANHATTAN, New York – Overnight a Jewish owned restaurant and another nearby business on the Upper East Side were the locations of alleged targeted vandalism.
Early Wednesday morning the front window at Rothschild TLV Restaurant on Lexington Avenue was smashed by a masked individual who used a blunt object to cause the damage before walking away.
In the four yeas since opening the restaurant owner Mike Kalbo says this is the first such incident at the eatery.
Mr. Kalbo said after watching the surveillance video he feels the incident is targeted and considers it a hate crime.
Another nearby business was also struck with vandalism. Just a few blocks away over at Nuts Factory near E74th St & 3rd Avenue the stores door was smashed along with pro Palestine stickers left on the door.
The stores manager declined to comment and referred us to the stores website for any further inquiries.
Just outside the store, a man in a suit and sunglasses rips off a ‘Kidnapped Poster’ hanging on a city utility pole.
When asked why he was doing that the man responded with “Man, I don’t know… why are they up?”
Another man soon arrived and started to film the poster snatcher. After a tense stare down and some choice words between the two, the man in the suit laughingly strolled away.
NYPD is investigating the pair of overnight vandalism incidents with no arrests reported as of Wednesday afternoon.