Swastika left on board member’s car

Police: Rita Ostrager is the intended victim of a bias crime

By: Bill Greenwood
   MONROE — Police believe Board of Education member Rita Ostrager is the intended victim of a bias crime.
   According to a press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Monroe police found a swastika drawn in mustard and ketchup on the hood of Ms. Ostrager’s car at 9:30 a.m. on July 20. The condiments also were poured over the rest of the car, which was parked on the street in front of her home on Briggs Avenue, the release states.
   The swastika was the symbol of the Nazi Party in Germany during the Holocaust.
   Ms. Ostrager, who is Jewish, said a neighbor who was walking by her house told her at 7 a.m. that her car had been vandalized. She then reported the incident to the police.
   Because the symbol is anti-Jewish, Monroe police wrote a bias incident report and notified the prosecutor’s office and the state Attorney General’s Office, according to the release. Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said the incident is still under investigation and no arrests have been made.
   Ms. Ostrager said she did not see who drew the symbol, but believes she was targeted because she is an outspoken member of the Board of Education.
   "I shouldn’t have to accept this just because I want to ask a question," she said.
   She said her children, who attend Hebrew school, know what the symbol means and have been frightened by it.
   "My kids were more concerned with going out back and making sure the gate was locked than before," she said.
   Anyone with information regarding the incident are asked to call Detective Sgt. Lawrence Linke, of the Monroe Township Police Department, at (732) 521-0222, ext. 178, or Sgt. John Rodriguez, of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, at (732) 745-3739, according to the release.
   Ms. Ostrager said her husband is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the capture of those responsible.