New York man charged after 9/11 Memorial defaced with red paint
The man promoted a gun-control website on the memorial in an effort to draw the attention of President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to the New York Post.
A New York man was arrested this week after allegedly defacing a memorial honoring the victims of 9/11 with red paint on Oct. 26 in what the New York Post described as a “political stunt.”
Jonathan Andrew Tijerina, 31, was charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti after allegedly spray-painting “Juststopkillingkids.com” on the memorial, the Post reported. The website promotes gun-control measures, including universal background checks and a national gun registry.
Tijerina took credit for the vandalism, filming himself and posting footage on social media. According to the Post, he acted in response to an Oct. 24 shooting at Florida A&M University that left 11 people wounded and sought to draw the attention of President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
A witness told CBS News that police arrived “less than a minute” after the vandalism.
The graffiti has since been removed, and the memorial sustained no permanent damage, CBS News reported.
In a statement reported by CBS News, a spokesperson for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum said:
“The 9/11 Memorial is a sacred place of reflection at the heart of a rebuilt World Trade Center that honors the 2,983 victims killed in the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 terrorist attacks. Yesterday’s brief incident was swiftly addressed by security staff and law enforcement, and the impacted area was immediately restored to its commemorative state.”
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