LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) is investigating a series of vandalism incidents around Lake Worth Beach, which allegedly include "disturbing" antisemitic messages.
PBSO says in a social media post that between September and October, five incidents of vandalism were reported. They posted a video of the suspect, who's described as a thin man wearing a baseball cap, spray-painting the side of a building.
WATCH: Walgreens was suspect's latest target
Investigators said "Kirk" was spray-painted on signs of businesses, and that more recent incidents included antisemitic messages. They said the vandalism occurred between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The graffiti came weeks after the killing of political commentator Charlie Kirk, and as Jews commemorated Yom Kippur, a sacred holiday.
The vandal's latest target was a Walgreens. By late Thursday, cleaning crews were removing the graffiti from the building. Emails to Walgreens' media department were not immediately returned.
Lake Worth residents strongly condemned the acts.
"It's just wrong! People don't need to be seeing that. It's just making things worse and spreading this hate and unrest and division that people are already feeling," commented Kristine Creager, a Lake Worth resident.
The Anti-Defamation League stated in its April report that antisemitic incidents increased by 5% in 2024. The report also noted that "vandalism and assaults increased significantly" that year.
PBSO asks anyone with information about the suspect to call 1-800-458-TIPS.
