Man Charged With Hate Crimes Over Swastika Flag Flown on N.Y.U. Campus
A man was arrested on Tuesday in relation to an episode during New York University’s graduation celebrations in which a flag with two swastikas and a Star of David flew above a campus building, according to court documents.
The man, Alexander Stepnowsky, is charged with one count of hate crime burglary, two counts of hate crime aggravated harassment and one count of criminal trespassing in a hate crime. He was a student at the school at the time, Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for N.Y.U., said in an interview. A LinkedIn profile that matches biographic information about Mr. Stepnowsky said he was a music technology student at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development — the building over which the flag flew.
According to court records, Mr. Stepnowsky was born in 2002.
Mr. Stepnowsky was identified over the course of an investigation conducted by the school and the New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force, Mr. Norvell said. The spokesman did not confirm whether Mr. Stepnowsky participated in the commencement ceremony or graduated with a degree.
The Police Department confirmed that Mr. Stepnowsky was arrested on the Lower East Side at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mr. Stepnowsky’s permanent address was in Fairfield, Conn., the police said. A lawyer for Mr. Stepnowsky, Vickie Mwitanti, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The symbols that were represented are antisemitic and hateful to every person of conscience; this appalling act violated our sense of community and solidarity,” Mr. Norvell said in a statement. “In addition to criminal proceedings, we will immediately pursue our disciplinary procedures, which carry the most severe consequences.”
The investigation included analyzing badge swipes and examining camera footage, according to a university official familiar with the process.
On May 13, as N.Y.U. seniors and their families were participating in a commencement tradition known as Grad Alley, a block-party-style celebration, the Police Department began receiving calls reporting harassment.
When officers arrived on the scene, a man informed them that a flag had shown antisemitic imagery in the form of two swastikas next to a Star of David. The purple-and-white flag was styled in a way that resembled the many purple N.Y.U. flags flying on campus buildings.
The Steinhardt School was named for Michael and Judy Steinhardt in 2001 after they donated $10 million to N.Y.U. to support “faculty development, doctoral fellowships and research.”
Mr. Steinhardt, a billionaire, made his money on Wall Street before becoming a major donor to N.Y.U. as well as to Jewish philanthropies. A conservatory at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art bear their name, as well.
Mr. Steinhardt is one of the founders of Birthright Israel, which sends young Jewish people on free trips to Israel to bolster their connection to the country and their Jewish identity.
