Photo Leads To Arrest Of Neighborhood Menace Behind Hateful Graffiti

Neighbor Kathy Kalayci said she spotted this man write “Obama Traitor” on the wall outside the Rybak constrcution site. (Photo by Kathy Kalayci )

A neighbor’s photo led to the arrest of the local kook who’s been scrawling hateful messages and harassing elected officials in Sheepshead Bay.

Police arrested 67-year-old Jerome Silverman Wednesday at his home near Emmons Avenue — less than a week after we posted a picture sent by a neighbor who spotted him vandalizing a construction site on Sheepshead Bay Road. He was charged with making graffiti, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment, according to the NYPD.

Police opened an investigation last year after the word “commie” was written in black marker along with a hammer and sickle on the district office of Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz. Authorities believed Cymbrowitz may have been targeted because he represents a district with a large Russian-Jewish population.

Silverman’s crude messages — with language like “commie queers” and “Obama is ISIS” — have shown up on properties throughout the neighborhood.

Cymbrowitz released a statement praising the collaboration between police and residents that lead to Silverman’s arrest.

“I’m pleased that the people of our community will no longer have to be assaulted by this individual’s offensive, hate-filled scrawlings. I commend the NYPD and community residents for working together to bring about this arrest,” he said.

Graffiti behind the Duane Reade at Ocean and Voorhies Avenues. (Photo: Alex Ellefson / Sheepshead Bites)

City Councilman Chaim Deutsch — who received emails that read “you suck” and “Drop Dead Commie traitor” — alerted authorities to the photo on our site. The messages, which Deutsch said were sent from an email account with Silverman’s name, had similar language to the graffiti outside Cymbrowitz’s office. However, when investigators questioned Silverman about the emails, which are not a crime, he denied committing any vandalism, Deutsch said.

The photo provided evidence Silverman was scrawling hateful messages in Sheepshead Bay. Deutsch said Silverman confessed to everything after his arrest.

“You can have an opinion,” Deutsch said. “But the way to express yourself is not through scrawling graffiti all throughout the neighborhood and defacing property.”

We were unable to contact Silverman about his arrest.