UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) — The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating vandalism at a Capital One bank branch on the Upper East Side that police say occurred around 7:50 a.m. Monday.
The vandalism left shattered glass, a busted window and red spray paint bearing the words “Pal Action,” referring to Palestine Action, at the bank on East 86th Street near Second Avenue. Police said someone threw a brick through the window. The words “Drop Elbit” also were spray-painted on the branch’s front door.
“Hopefully there’s cameras. Hopefully they’ll apprehend whoever the perpetrator was, but it’s unfortunate,” customer Rod Garcia said.
Palestine Action is an activist group that protests Israel-linked defense companies, including Elbit. Activists have targeted Capital One in the past over its loans to Elbit.
“I just think it makes absolutely zero sense. As a Jewish man you could be upset with the government. You could be upset with whatever you want to be but what it’s this going to do for the community, for the world, for Palestine? Nothing,” neighbor Lance Robinson said.
Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the vandalism, accusing Capital One of loaning Elbit Systems more than a half-billion dollars for Israel’s weapons.
In a statement, the group said: “We will no longer allow this country, and the companies that plague it, to be involved in the genocide of the Palestinian people without answering for their crimes.”
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who represents the district and is Jewish, condemned the vandalism, along with other local officials.
“It’s terrible,” Menin said. “What we’re seeing, the explosion of hate crimes throughout New York City is actually outrageous,” she said.
About two miles south on Second Avenue at East 47th Street, a street renaming ceremony honored the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, a group that advocates for the safety of the Jewish community.
“Hate can shatter glass, but it will never shatter the spirit of the Jewish people and of New Yorkers. New Yorkers were built tough, were built different, and we’re going to get through this like we always have,” JCRC CEO Mark Treyger said.
No one was injured in the vandalism.
Police said no arrests had been made as of Monday. Investigators were canvassing the area for surveillance video.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Source: abc7ny.com
