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NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 8:35 a.m. ET
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Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 8:35 a.m. ET
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The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating after someone smashed windows and graffitied the doors of a Capital One branch on the Upper East Side on Monday morning, police said.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin shared images of the vandalism on social media. They show several shattered storefront windows and red spray paint on the bank’s doors reading “PAL ACTION” and “DROP ELBIT.” The words appear to refer to Palestine Action, a U.K.-based direct-action network that targets defense suppliers connected to Israel, and Elbit Systems, an Israeli company that makes drones, surveillance systems and ammunition used by Israel’s military.
The bank previously faced protests over a $90 million loan it made to Elbit, according to Truthout reporting. In April, demonstrators with Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard protested outside the bank's Midtown Manhattan offices.
Officers responded to a 911 call around 7:40 a.m. Monday and found multiple damaged windows and graffiti on the bank’s front door at 249 East 86th Street, according to the NYPD.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing, according to police.
Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the vandalism in a statement sent to Gothamist.
“Today our Actionists showed Capital One the price of their complicity in genocide,” the group said in their statement. “Do business with Elbit, and we will cost you money.”
Neither Elbit nor Capital One immediately responded to Gothamist’s request for comment.
Palestine Action was founded in Britain in 2020. It’s been listed as a terrorist organization there since July 2025. The U.S. government also designated it a terrorist group in late August.
City leaders were quick to rebuke the vandalism.
“I have been in contact with the NYPD regarding this incident and have urged an immediate investigation, including whether this is a potential antisemitic hate crime,” Menin, who represents the Upper East Side, wrote on X. “There is no place for hate, intimidation or violence in New York City.”
Councilmember Virginia Maloney, who also represents the Upper East Side, called the vandalism “deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable.”
The vandalism follows a summer of high-profile incidents that have rattled the city and its Jewish communities. In August, a Bronx man allegedly disrupted Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Midtown and struck a congregant. He has since been indicted on state hate crime charges and also faces federal charges. In July, two synagogues in Queens were vandalized. And that same month, a man allegedly stabbed two people with a screwdriver on the Upper West Side, including one person leaving synagogue services. That man has also been charged under state hate crime laws.
On Monday, a Queens man was also arraigned on hate crime charges for allegedly vandalizing a Jewish-owned kosher bagel shop in Fresh Meadows in May.
Statistics released by the NYPD earlier this month indicate that anti-Jewish hate crimes made up more than half of the city’s confirmed hate crimes through September — 245 out of 463.
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Ryan Kost
Ryan Kost is a reporter on the day-of news desk, where he covers breaking news and writes enterprise stories about jails, courts, prosecutors and government accountability. His work focuses on the public institutions that shape life in New York. Before joining the newsroom, he lead a multi-part investigation with Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus into how New York prosecutors handle wrongful conviction claims. He's also been a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. Got a tip? Signal: ryankost.20
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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