Overview
- Miami Beach police charged visitors Gunther Jekschtat, 62, and Christoph Rehak, 58, with criminal mischief after Monday's swastika graffiti on a rainbow bench in Lummus Park.
- Surveillance video showed four men approach the bench, with one writing "Adolf was here" next to a swastika, and officers soon detained the group near Seventh Street and Ocean Drive.
- Using the Real Time Intelligence Center, police tracked two suspects to the Colony Hotel, questioned them, and said both admitted to the vandalism.
- An arrest report states Rehak drew while Jekschtat blocked the view, and both told officers they thought it was a joke, with the pair still in custody Tuesday morning.
- City crews removed the donated bench for repairs, and leaders promised its return as they link the incident to broader efforts to counter antisemitism and protect LGBTQ spaces.