An NYU student was arrested and charged with hate crimes Tuesday in connection with raising a swastika flag over a campus building dedicated to a Jewish donor last month, authorities said.
Connecticut resident Alexander Stepnowsky, 23, was charged with burglary and criminal trespass as a hate crime and first-degree aggravated harassment, police said Wednesday.
The pupil allegedly hoisted the flag, which included two Nazi symbols, a Star of David, and an NYU logo over the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development during graduation festivities on May 13, school and police officials said.
The Fairfield resident allegedly admitted to the conduct, claiming he was upset with how NYU handled political issues around Israel, according to law enforcement sources.
The Steinhardt building is named after Michael and Judy Steinhardt, who have donated millions of dollars to the school over the years.
The family, which is also behind the charity Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, said in a statement they want to see the suspect face heavy consequences.
“Our family is grateful to the NYPD for their dogged determination to find this criminal and we hope he will be punished to the full extent of the law, and of course expelled from the University,” the family said Wednesday.
“Antisemitism is never about the Jews. It always about the haters. In this dark moment where the hate feels overwhelming, we hope all New Yorkers will double down on Jewish pride and joy.”
The defendant was captured on camera entering the Steinhardt building using his NYU access card before the flag was raised, a criminal complaint alleged.
Stepnowsky is a fourth-year student at the school, according to a source with a school rep stating it would “immediately pursue our disciplinary procedures, which carry the most severe consequences.”
“The University cooperated fully with the NYPD. We are grateful for their exhaustive work and for the efforts of the Manhattan District Attorney in identifying the person responsible for this heinous crime,” an NYU spokesperson said in a statement.
“The symbols that were represented are antisemitic and hateful to every person of conscience; this appalling act violated our sense of community and solidarity.”
The range of discipline includes possible expulsion, the source said.
The ex-pupil pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on his own recognizance, court records show.
A call to a lawyer listed for Stepnowsky was not immediately returned.
