Police investigate suspected hate-motivated vandalism in Vaughan

Police are searching for at least three suspects in connection with a suspected hate-motivated vandalism incident in Vaughan.

York region police say shortly after 3 a.m. on January 9 a dark-coloured Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped in front of a house in the southwest area of Glen Shields Avenue and Dufferin Street.

Video surveillance released by police shows two masked men getting out of the Jeep and approaching an SUV which was adorned with decals of the Israeli flag. The suspects then use a tool to shatter the windows of the vehicle before they get back into the Jeep and flee the scene.

The first suspect was last seen wearing a dark hooded jacket, dark pants with a reflective stripe on the side and a satchel across his chest.

The second suspect was last seen wearing a dark hooded jacket and dark pants with reflective material at the knee.

The vehicle is described as a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, which was driven by a third suspect who is not seen in the video.

Police say the Hate Crime Prevention Unit is currently investigating the case. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact police.

“Yesterday, a Jewish family’s vehicle, which displays the Israeli flag, was badly vandalized in the area of Dufferin and Steeles in Vaughan, Ont. This comes just days after an Israeli flag was ripped at a home in Mission, BC. Targeting private properties because they display the flag of Israel is #antisemitism, pure and simple,” the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement on X.