Navigate to News section

Teen Confesses to Maryland Synagogue Vandalism

Police arrest 18-year-old for defacing Congregation Shaare Torah over Passover

by
Yair Rosenberg
April 15, 2015

Last week, Congregation Shaare Torah of Gaithersburg, MD, was vandalized with anti-Semitic epithets, including swastikas, “Hitler” and “KKK.” The Conservative synagogue, located less than an hour outside Washington D.C., continued to meet after the incident while police launched an investigation.

At the time, the police reported that they’d recovered surveillance footage capturing the perpetrators. Today they announced that one suspect had confessed to the crime and was arrested.

The individual, an 18-year-old named Sebastian Espinoza-Carranza, reportedly told police that he’d defaced the building because he “disliked the Jewish people who attended the congregation.” He has been charged under Maryland’s hate crime law with property damage to a religious institution, defacing a religious property, and malicious destruction of property over $1000. He’s been released after posting $25,000 bail.

The police also stated that they had identified several other juvenile suspects, and that more charges are expected.

Yair Rosenberg is a senior writer at Tablet. Subscribe to his newsletter, listen to his music, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.