TEEN VANDAL BUSTED
Turned in by dad - in WWI deface
A teenage anti-Israel protester who vandalized a World War I memorial in Central Park earlier this week was arrested Thursday — after his father turned him over to the cops, according to the NYPD and police sources.
The 16-year-old boy was charged with criminal mischief in the third degree, a felony, and making graffiti, which is a misdemeanor, for allegedly defacing the 107th Infantry Memorial during an unruly demonstration on Monday night.
The teen, who routinely attends rallies organized by the anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime, only landed in custody after his dad turned him in, the sources said.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry on Thursday posted a blurred photo to X of the teen in handcuffs sitting on a bench in a police station.
“The despicable vandalism we saw earlier this week on the WWI Memorial will not be ignored, and will not go unpunished,” Daughtry tweeted as he announced one of the culprits’ arrest.
“This isn’t simply juvenile hijinks — it’s an act of desecration that undermines the freedoms our heroes fought and died for,” he added.
‘These people are nuts’
Sources said the youngster attends Tottenville HS and has no prior arrests.
The war memorial was defaced with graffiti reading “Gaza” in large red letters during Monday’s anarchy near the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 67th Street.
Another protester torched an American flag in front of the bronzed memorial depicting seven World War I foot soldiers in battle.
Several others were seen climbing on top of the infantrymen and waving Palestinian flags.
The desecration of the memorial outraged New Yorkers who visited the site Tuesday to see the damage themselves.
“These people are just nuts and violent,” Michael Skol, who has lived in the tony Manhattan neighborhood for 25 years, had told The Post.
“Burning the flag is anti-American. It’s stupid,” he added. “It definitively doesn’t help Palestinians or the peace process. These are people who are not in the tradition of believing America is a good place. It’s disgusting.”
Enraged locals argued that the throngs of pro-Palestinian protesters were hurting their cause with their mindless destruction.
“It’s horrible to treat a World War I memorial the way they did. It breaks your heart,” said Ron Zucher, 50.
“In this country, you have a right to voice your opinion, but not destroy memorials that pay tribute to heroes who died for our country.
“You gotta have some decency,” Zucher added. “The protesters are not helping their own cause destroying monuments and burning the flag.”
A clean-up crew Tuesday scrubbed off the “Gaza” and “Free Palestine” graffiti left behind at the memorial using power washers and a biodegradable chemical cleaning agent.
Anarchists on Monday night also vandalized the Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman monument in the nearby Grand Army Plaza on 59th Street.