York Regional Police say they are looking for at least three suspects who vandalized a vehicle displaying Israeli flag decals in Vaughan this week.
On Tuesday, just after 3 a.m., York police learned of a vehicle that was damaged while parked at a residence in the southwest area of Glen Shields Avenue and Dufferin Street, just east of Steeles.
According to police, at least three suspects were driving through the neighbourhood in a dark-coloured Jeep Grand Cherokee before parking in front of the victim’s house.
Police said two male suspects got out of the passenger side, both wearing masks and gloves, while a third suspect remained in the Jeep as the driver.
In a security camera video, released by York Regional Police, the suspects can be seen approaching the victim’s vehicle, which police said was adorned with decals of the Israeli flag.
The suspects then used a tool to shatter the vehicle’s windows, before returning to the Jeep and driving away, police said.
The first suspect was seen wearing a dark hooded jacket, dark pants with a reflective stripe on the side and a satchel across his chest.
The second suspect was wearing a dark hooded jacket and dark pants with reflective material at the knee.
Police said the incident is under investigation as suspected hate-motivated vandalism.
In a post shared on X by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, a photo shows damage to the back window of the vehicle, along with a decal of the Israeli flag.
“Yesterday, a Jewish family’s vehicle, which displays the Israeli flag, was badly vandalized,” reads the post. “Targeting private properties because they display the flag of Israel is antisemitism, pure and simple.”
This comes as hate-motivated crimes continue to escalate throughout the city.
Toronto police previously said there’s been a spike in hate crimes since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with a little over half reported to be antisemitic.
Police say between Oct. 7 and Dec. 17, 2023, there were 98 reported hate crimes in Toronto, compared with 48 over the same period in 2022.
That included 56 reported antisemitic incidents, compared with 18 over the same period last year. It also accounts for 20 reported incidents targeting Muslims, Arabs or Palestinians — compared with just two over the same period in 2022.
Anyone with information about this crime, or with video recordings from the area around the time of the incident, is urged to contact police.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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