Nearly a month after a banner featuring two swastikas and a Star of David appeared above a New York University campus building during commencement, court records show that Alexander Stepnowsky was placed under arrest Tuesday, The New York Times reported.
Hate crime burglary, aggravated harassment, and criminal trespassing as a hate crime form the basis of the charges. NYU spokesman Wiley Norvell, speaking in an interview, indicated that Stepnowsky was enrolled at the school during the episode. A LinkedIn page whose biographical details align with the suspect's identified him as a music technology student at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development – which happens to be the building where the flag was hoisted.
Identification of the suspect emerged from a joint inquiry involving school officials and the New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force, Norvell indicated. The spokesman declined to confirm whether the accused had taken part in the ceremony itself or earned a degree.
At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, on the Lower East Side, the arrest occurred, the Police Department confirmed. Authorities listed Fairfield, Conn., as Stepnowsky's permanent residence. Release on his own recognizance was granted, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office. Vickie Mwitanti, who represents the accused, did not respond immediately when asked to comment.
"The symbols that were represented are antisemitic and hateful to every person of conscience; this appalling act violated our sense of community and solidarity," Norvell said in a statement. "In addition to criminal proceedings, we will immediately pursue our disciplinary procedures, which carry the most severe consequences."
Reviewing camera footage and analyzing badge swipe data became central pieces of the inquiry, a university official with knowledge of the process indicated. Prosecutors said surveillance video documented Stepnowsky swiping his student identification to access the building and then exiting after attaching the banner to the flagpole. He acknowledged placing the flag there when questioned by authorities.
Calls regarding harassment started reaching police on May 13, just as NYU seniors and their families celebrated Grad Alley, the block-party-style commencement event.
Upon reaching the scene, officers were told by a man that the flag atop the Steinhardt building displayed antisemitic imagery – two swastikas flanking a Star of David. Purple and white in color, the banner had been designed to blend in with the many purple NYU flags hanging from campus buildings.
The Steinhardt name became attached to the school in 2001, when Michael and Judy Steinhardt gave $10 million to NYU earmarked for "faculty development, doctoral fellowships and research." Steinhardt stands among the founders of Birthright Israel, which underwrites free Israel trips for young Jewish individuals to deepen ties with the country and their Jewish identity.
