NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Police in Newton are investigating two “bias incidents” targeted at Asians, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced Wednesday.
A jogger this week was seen throwing a “Stop Asian Hate” yard sign into the street and a mural in Newton Centre Green that depicted the artist’s Asian grandmother was defaced with paint, according to Fuller
“I am disheartened by not just these incidents but also the spate of house breaks and the increase in the verbal harassment and physical acts of bias-related incidents against Asians across the country in the last year and a half,” Fuller wrote.
No injuries have been reported.
The incidents come as police continue to search for a suspect wanted in connection with a string of break-ins at Asian-American homes.
“We know that we have Asian-American families that are being targeted,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said. “We need to take that as a hate crime.”
All of the break-ins involved forced entry, occurred during the daytime, on a weekend with no one home, police said. The suspect was able to get away with jewelry, cash, and handbags.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact police at 617-796-2100.
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