Police have charged two individuals in connection with defacing multiple items at Tobay Beach, including two 9/11 memorials.
Tayyab Muhammad, 20, from South Farmingdale and an unidentified suspect were arrested Sunday and charged with second-degree criminal mischief and making graffiti, according to police. They had allegedly spray painted the Boatyard Restaurant, men’s and women’s bathrooms, concession stand, Surf Shack restaurant, west bathhouse and the 9/11 Memorial Wall at Tobay Beach on Feb. 22, police said. The spray paint will result in roughly $3,500 worth of damage, according to police.
Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino spoke about the graffiti on the two 9/11 monuments at the beach Monday in Massapequa. He said he was so upset about what had occurred that he could “spit fire,” and he showed pictures of the monuments with red spray paint across them. A list of victims from the town had “9/11 was the fault of the USA” written on it and the Wall of Honor had the word “liar.”
“This was not just vandalism, this was an outright attack on the memory of those we have lost, on the families who still grieve, and on the values we hold sacred,” Saladino said.
The town supervisor said license plate readers and security camera footage from the beach were used by police in order to track down the suspects.
The town and police have asked anybody with information about the incident to call 1 (800) 244-8477.
