Over half of New York City’s hate crimes committed thus far in 2019 were anti-Semitic, CNN reported, citing law enforcement officials. Out of 290 hate crimes reported in 2019, 152 of them were anti-Semitic in nature. In 2018, only 93 anti-Semitic hate crimes were reported in the same time period—representing a 63-percent increase. New York City Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea reportedly said many of the incidents involve vandalism, including swastikas being written on synagogues and other graffiti. “The vast majority do not involve personal action and assault," Shea said on Wednesday, though he added that some assaults did occur.

The NYPD also said hate crime arrests were up, with 135 arrested so far in 2019 compared to 108 last year. Shea said the department did not have a definitive cause for the anti-Semitic hate crime increase. “A number of cases that I've highlighted, we've seen some mental illness. We've seen some people that just hate. So we've seen a little bit of everything,” he was quoted saying by CNN.