Overview
- Police say two men sprayed a swastika and the words “Adolf was here” on a rainbow bench in Lummus Park on Monday, a public memorial meant to signal tolerance and inclusion.
- Miami Beach’s Real Time Intelligence Center used city surveillance footage to track the pair and officers arrested them minutes later at the Colony Hotel on Ocean Drive.
- Authorities identified the suspects as Gunther J., 63, and Christoph R., 58, both from Laubach in Hesse, Germany, and report that one called the act a “joke” while the other later apologized.
- The men were charged with a first‑degree offense and police have urged prosecutors to upgrade the case to a third‑degree hate crime, which would carry stiffer penalties.
- Both were released on bail, must obtain judicial permission to leave the U.S., face a court date on May 28, and city leaders have condemned the vandalism while the investigation remains active.