New York man charged with spraying paint on 9/11 Memorial panels

A New York man has been charged for allegedly painting graffiti on panels surrounding one of the 9/11 Memorial pools, police said Wednesday. 

About 5 p.m. Monday, Port Authority police said they were notified by the 9/11 Memorial Museum that a man had been detained in connection with the alleged vandalism of memorial panels on the north side of the North Tower Pool.

Images from local media outlets showed red paint scrawled across some of the memorial panels that bear names of those killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The images of the spray painted message said: " ... Just Stop Killing Kids."

Officers arrested the man, identified as Johnathan Tijerina, 31, of New York. Police could provide no further specific address or motive for the incident.

Tijerina appears to have posted multiple videos of himself spraying the paint on the memorial, including one in which he identifies himself and admits his actions, to the Instagram page for Just Stop Killing Kids. The group identifies itself as a "civil resistance organization demanding universal background checks and a universal gun registry," according to its website.

Another Just Stop Killing Kids Instagram post confirmed the arrest of Tijerina and identified him as an "experienced civil-resistance organizer" who is "taking responsibility for his actions and will face trial." Tijerina demanded that President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani "enforce common-sense, highly popular demands with respect to guns," according to the post. 

Tijerina was taken to Manhattan Central Booking for processing, police said. He faces charges of criminal mischief and making graffiti, police said.

It was not immediately clear Wednesday afternoon if Tijerina was represented by counsel.

In a statement, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum said the spray paint had been cleaned up.

"The 9/11 Memorial is a sacred place of reflection at the heart of a rebuilt World Trade Center that honors the 2,983 victims killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 and Feb. 26, 1993 terrorist attacks, the statement said. "This brief incident was swiftly addressed by security staff and law enforcement, and the impacted area was immediately restored to its commemorative state."