YORKVILLE — A 14-year-old boy has been charged for the vandalism of a large menorah in Carl Schurz Park last week, according to authorities.
The teen, whom the NYPD did not identify because of his age, was arrested on Dec. 11 and was charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime, police said.
The boy confessed to knocking the menorah down twice because he was bored, according to a report by JPUpdates.com.
The menorah was first knocked over in the early morning of Dec. 5. and was found with some of its bulbs broken, according to police.
It was knocked over again the following night, just after Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun and Chabad of the Upper East Side had lit the first candle for Hanukkah, police said.
The Jewish community rallied on Dec. 7 to re-light the menorah as a symbol of their resilience.
Rabbi Elie Weinstock said he was relieved the culprit was caught.
"It's definitely encouraging for all New Yorkers that the police force takes these situations seriously," he said. "The situation says something about the difficult society which we live where we have teens that get bored and do things like this.
"It makes it even more important that we focus on the positive and deliver positive messages to our youth and others to help turn the city around," Weinstock continued.
