By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
Mercer Island police have made three arrests in the vandalism incident that left swastikas and anti-Semitic epithets spray-painted across the Northwest Yeshiva High School. All three of the teens brought into custody have addresses on Mercer Island and at least one of the suspects is Jewish.
On Oct. 6, police arrested two 17-year-old minors in the case. The third, Jared Kadish, 18, returned to the area from California where he had just started college, and turned himself in Oct. 8. Kadish is Jewish.
According to Mercer Island Detective Pete Erickson, the three suspects were served with arrest warrants and their homes searched. Evidence recovered included “markers, spray paint, samples of graffiti, writings, documents about graffiti,” Erickson said. “We got a ton of evidence. It took all of [the day] to process.”
Erickson said it was unclear whether any of the evidence they collected included any anti-Semitic or white supremacist writings.
Rabbi Bernie Fox, head of NYHS, was unprepared to write off the accused as anti-Semitic. He pointed out that vandalism also occurred at St. Monica’s Catholic Church and Island Park Elementary School.
“It’s an expression of anger,” said Fox. “These seem to be very troubled young people and it’s very sad.”
Kadish appeared in court on Saturday and remains in custody. Bail was set at $20,000. All three defendants have been charged on one count of malicious harassment by the King County prosecutor’s office and will be arraigned on October 27 – the two minors in juvenile court.
“These are local youth. They’re graffiti artists is what they are. They’re taggers,” Erickson said. “We’re not dealing with 30-year-old skinheads here, which is the good thing, clearly.”
Regardless, he added, because of the large Jewish population that lives on the island, the department approaches any crimes, in particular vandalism of this nature, as hate crimes and investigate as such.
“I am impressed and pleased that the Mercer Island Police Department acted effectively and efficiently,” said Fox.
Mercer Island has three Jewish facilities. The yeshiva high school, near the center of the island on its main north-south thoroughfare, was one of four facilities vandalized between Sept. 14 and 17. According to the Mercer Island Reporter, one of the minors arrested is a suspect in other vandalism incidents as well.
JTNews Assistant Editor Eric Nusbaum contributed to this report.