Saul Amantecatl Sanchez
Introduction
Saul Amantecatl Sanchez is a 26-year-old Brooklyn man charged with first-degree aggravated harassment and making graffiti after a swastika was found drawn on a door of the Marion and Aaron Gural Jewish Community Center in Lawrence, New York, in the heart of the Five Towns Orthodox Jewish community. Nassau County police say Sanchez, who was on the JCC’s premises making a delivery, allegedly used his finger to draw the swastika on a door in the center’s parking lot on November 6, 2026, and that detectives arrested him on November 10 after what the department called a thorough investigation. He was released on an appearance ticket returnable to First District Court and has not entered a plea; the charges are accusations, not convictions.
Background Information
The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC sits at 140 Central Avenue in Lawrence, a village in Nassau County’s Five Towns area, one of the New York region’s most densely Orthodox Jewish communities. According to the Nassau County Police Department’s Fourth Squad, officers were called to the center at about 11:38 a.m. on Friday, November 6, 2026, and were informed that a swastika had been found drawn on a door on the property. Sanchez, 26, of Brooklyn, was making a delivery to the center when the symbol was drawn, according to a statement the JCC provided to 5 Towns Central; the center said his employer is fully cooperating with law enforcement, and police identified him through a review of surveillance footage from multiple camera angles.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged with first-degree aggravated harassment and making graffiti after allegedly drawing a swastika on a Jewish community center door; released on an appearance ticket, no plea entered, and the charges are accusations. The JCC says the incident “does not appear to have been premeditated.”
The JCC said in its statement that its security team “immediately reviewed surveillance footage from multiple camera angles” and worked closely with the Nassau County Police Department, leading to an arrest within days of the discovery. Police say Fourth Squad detectives arrested Sanchez on Tuesday, November 10, “after a thorough investigation,” and charged him with first-degree aggravated harassment and making graffiti — the police report and the outlets that carried it did not detail the evidence beyond the surveillance review that identified him. Sanchez was released on an appearance ticket and ordered to return to Nassau County’s First District Court.
The center’s account struck a notably measured tone: “Based on the information currently available, the incident does not appear to have been premeditated,” the JCC said, adding that the individual’s employer was cooperating fully with law enforcement and that it takes incidents of antisemitism seriously “regardless of the circumstances or intent.” The center said the safety and security of its students, staff and visitors remained its highest priority. No prosecutor’s office has publicly characterized the case beyond the charges themselves.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The arrest drew quick response from local officials. “A swastika is not a harmless drawing,” Ari Brown, a Republican member of the New York State Assembly who represents the area, told JNS. “It represents hatred, persecution, and the murder of six million Jews. There is absolutely no place for it in our community.” Brown urged residents to stay vigilant: “I encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity or incidents of antisemitism to law enforcement,” he said, adding, “We cannot and will not allow antisemitism to become an accepted part of everyday life.” The New York Post’s report of the charges circulated on X on November 12.
Current Status
As of November 12, 2026, Sanchez has been charged with first-degree aggravated harassment and making graffiti, released on an appearance ticket, and ordered to appear in Nassau County’s First District Court; a return date has not been publicly reported. No plea has been entered, no attorney has been reported as representing him, and he has not publicly commented. The charges remain unadjudicated — no conviction has been entered and no trial has been scheduled — and any prosecution will turn on evidence including the JCC’s surveillance footage and the police investigation’s findings.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Sanchez works in delivery — the trade he was doing at the JCC when the symbol was drawn — and the center’s statement that his employer is “fully cooperating with law enforcement” leaves his job status publicly unresolved. The two counts he now faces carry the possibility of penalties including jail if they result in conviction, though no prosecutor’s office has said what outcome it will seek, and his case remains at the charge stage. For the Five Towns community, the episode landed as a warning from officials that antisemitic acts, even ones the center describes as apparently unplanned, will be investigated and charged — and for Sanchez, it converted a routine delivery stop into criminal charges, a booking photo, and a pending court case.
Sources
- New York Post, “Brooklyn man, 26, charged with drawing Nazi swastika on Long Island Jewish center,” November 12, 2026. source
- JNS, “Brooklyn man charged with drawing Nazi swastika on JCC in Lawrence,” November 12, 2026. source
- Long Island Press (police release), “Brooklyn Man Accused of Drawing Swastika on Door of Lawrence Jewish Community Center,” November 11, 2026. source
- Patch, “Swastika Drawn On JCC In Lawrence, Man Arrested: PD,” November 11, 2026. source
- 5 Towns Central, “Brooklyn Man Arrested After Swastika Discovered at Gural JCC in Lawrence,” November 11, 2026. source
- @nypost trigger tweet, November 12, 2026. source