Four school buses serving Jewish schools in Brooklyn were vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti on Monday morning, prompting an investigation by the New York City Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force.

Police were called to the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Williamsburg Street West shortly before 10:00 a.m. following reports of vandalism targeting the buses.

An NYPD spokesperson told JNS that “antisemitic writing and swastikas were spray-painted on four school buses."

“There are no arrests at this time," the spokesperson added.

Photographs from the scene showed the yellow buses, which bore the names of Jewish religious schools in Hebrew, covered with graffiti that included “f--- Israel," “Free Palestine" and swastikas.

New York Attorney General Letitia James condemned the incident as “despicable" and encouraged anyone with information about the perpetrators to contact police.

City Council member Lincoln Restler, whose district includes the location of the vandalism, described the graffiti as “truly obscene" and said he was cooperating with law enforcement to “track down those responsible."

“The decade-long rise in antisemitic incidents must be stopped," Restler said.

The incident came amid continued concerns about antisemitic hate crimes in New York City.

According to NYPD statistics released last month, Jews were targeted in 245 of the 463 confirmed hate crimes recorded across the city between January and September 2026, accounting for approximately 53% of all incidents.

The number represented an increase from 242 anti-Jewish hate crimes during the corresponding period in 2025, despite Jews making up approximately 10% of New York City's population.

Several recent violent incidents have also targeted Jewish residents.

Last month, two Orthodox Jewish men were stabbed in Manhattan's Diamond District. Police arrested a 32-year-old woman, who was subsequently charged with two federal hate crimes.

In September, a 48-year-old man was arrested after allegedly pursuing a 24-year-old Jewish man through Brooklyn with a knife while shouting Nazi slogans. The victim managed to escape into his home as the suspect continued threatening him.

Also in September, a 14-year-old Jewish boy sustained a stab wound to his hand during an altercation at a synagogue in Borough Park. Police arrested a 22-year-old suspect.

In August, a man interrupted Shabbat prayers at Manhattan's Central Synagogue, injuring a congregant and assaulting a security officer. He was later charged with hate crimes.