Swastika

By Aiden Pink August 14, 2019

An Ohio family’s house exploded last week in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime after finding a swastika spray-painted on the garage, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.

The house of Brad and Angela Frase in Sterling, 50 miles south of Cleveland, exploded at around 12:50 a.m. on August 8, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. The Frases were not present, having moved to a hotel after an electrical fire in the house in early July.

On August 5, three days before the explosion, neighbors called the fire department to report the smell of natural gas at the abandoned house. “The Sterling Fire District was first called to the residence on Monday (Aug. 5) after an unknown suspect(s) unsuccessfully attempted to ignite the home by filling it with natural gas and turning the stove burner on,” Sterling Fire Chief Josh Glessner said in a statement. “However, the gas and electric utilities had previously been disconnected.”

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After the explosion on the 8th, police discovered a swastika and a spray-painted racial slur on the detached garage.

Brad Frese is white and Angela Frese is black. It is not known if either of them are Jewish, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.

“Our goal is to get to the truth of the matter,” said Capt. Doug Hunter of the sheriff’s department. “It would be improper to place a timeline on those who are doing the investigation.”

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at pink@forward.com or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink

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