Williamsburg - NYPD Releases Photos Of Suspect In Mezuzah Arson

Police have released a security camera image of the man believed to have torched Jewish religious objects inside two apartment buildings in Brooklyn on Monday and Tuesday.

Someone burned 11 mezuzahs inside 85 Taylor Street, at the Taylor-Wythe Houses, in Williamsburg, on Monday. police said.

Then on Tuesday, a burned mezuzah was reported inside 130 Clymer Street.

A mezuzah is an object inscribed with Hebrew verses affixed outside a door.

The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the burning.

Police describe the suspect as man in his early 20s, wearing a purple do-rag and a black jacket inscribed with an "NY" symbol on the shoulder and "New York" across the chest. The security camera image shows him with a small, foldable two-wheeled scooter.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who is running for mayor, issued a statement condemning the vandalism.

"Nothing but hatred can explain why someone would burn mezuzahs on Yom Hashoah, the day we remember the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust," de Blasio said. "This is a sickening act of prejudice that strikes at the very core of who we are as a city. Make no mistake: we will find those responsible."