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Video Helps ID Creators Of Swastika Found On Grounds Of Westwood School, Superintendent Says

Police investigating the discovery of a swastika on the grounds of a K-5 school in Westwood are reviewing video evidence, the district superintendent said.

Westwood police are investigating the discovery of a swastika at the Brookside Elementary School in Westwood.

Westwood police are investigating the discovery of a swastika at the Brookside Elementary School in Westwood.

Photo Credit: Westwood Regional School District / Westwood Police Department

The symbol of hate was "created with twigs" and "was about one foot long by one foot wide," Westwood Regional Schools Supt. Jill Mortimer wrote in an email to parents on Monday, March 13.

School officials immediately reported it to police, then worked with them to identify those responsible, Mortimer said.

"There was video evidence," she added.

Principals at other schools in the districts checked their grounds and didn't find anything similar, Mortimer wrote.

The schools chief said her office also contacted the Jewish Foundation of Northern New Jersey, whose organizers are "activating their teams to provide resources and assistance to us."

The symbol also was removed, she added.

"This act is a hate crime; it is not freedom of speech," Mortimer wrote.

She asked for parents' support in "spreading a message of kindness and respect for all."

"We will provide more information when it becomes available," Mortimer concluded.

Last October, an underage saboteur from another district used the online account of a Westwood Regional High School student to email hateful messages to most of the victim’s classmates – among them, an image of a Ku Klux Klansman accompanied by an anti-Semitic caption.

SEE: Hateful Images, Messages Sent To Westwood Regional Students Probed By Cyber Crime Detectives

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