Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY – A makeshift memorial set up following the tragic hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old girl in Flatbush has been vandalized with a swastika, sparking outrage from officials and community members alike.
As YWN previously reported, on January 17th, Antonina Zatulovska was killed when she was struck by a bus as she crossed the street near her school on Bedford and Avenue P.
A makeshift memorial was set up near the location of the tragedy and has served as a reminder of the young life suddenly snuffed out, until now.
On Monday, Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said she had been informed by a constituent that the site had been vandalized with a swastika and smashed candles.
Several weeks ago, 15 year old Antonina Zatulovska was killed in a traffic accident outside of her school, Madison High School on Bedford/P.
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) February 21, 2022
Today, a constituent reported to me that the makeshift memorial site was vandalized with a swastika & smashed candles.
I am horrified. pic.twitter.com/MWqQrPhiwg
“I am horrified,” Vernikov wrote on Twitter. “A young life was cut short, a family broken, and a school community shaken to its core. To have that tragedy compounded by hateful bigotry is nothing short of cruelty.”
Vernikov added that she has reported the incident to the NYPD’s 61st Precinct, who have sent detectives to investigate.