Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

NYPD officer charged for vandalizing Jewish summer camp during Rosh Hashanah

Matthew McGrath, 37, of Middletown, N.Y., broke into Camp Young Judea in the town of Union Vale and caused damage to the property.

Camp Young Judea in Union Vale, N.Y. Source: Google Maps.
Camp Young Judea in Union Vale, N.Y. Source: Google Maps.

An officer of the New York City Police Department has been arrested and charged for breaking into and vandalizing a Jewish camp on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.

Matthew McGrath, 37, of Middletown, N.Y., broke into Camp Young Judea in the town of Union Vale and caused damage to the property, according to a press release by the New York State Police.

Sources told Mid Hudson News that McGrath smashed several windows, destroyed contents in the director’s residence and did widespread damage to the Jewish camp when he trespassed onto the property on Sept. 8.

The New York State Police, in conjunction with the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, arrested McGrath on Sept. 15. He was charged with burglary in the second and third degrees, as well as two counts of criminal mischief.

McGrath, who was off-duty at the time of his arrest, was arraigned before the town of Union Vale Court and released on his own recognizance to stand before the court on Oct. 6.

The NYPD officer reportedly has a history with the camp and his mother lives close to the site, according to Mid Hudson News.

Hersh, her only son, was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, with his best friend, Aner Shapira, and executed in captivity.
“The University of Washington has been notified by the U.S. Department of Justice that it is conducting a compliance review. The university will cooperate with the review and provide information and responses,” a UW spokesperson told JNS.
“Using public funds and benefits to discriminate against religious schools is unconstitutional—period,” said Nathan Diament, of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center.
Reza Dindar is accused of using a China-based front company to procure U.S. goods and illegally route them to Iran in violation of export controls.
“The results in Iran will be amazing,” the U.S. president wrote. “And if Iran’s new leaders are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future.”
The U.S.-led forum focused on how to “effectively disrupt and deter Iran’s terrorist plots and other illicit schemes,” the U.S. State Department said.