A man has been charged in connection with vandalism that left an Israeli-owned kitchen renovation business covered in red spray paint, according to Baltimore County Police.

Jonathon Wagner, 39, is facing multiple malicious destruction of property charges, including one based on race and religious.

Videocamera footage shows Wagner approaching the front door of the Kitchen Design by Idan late Wednesday evening holding a can of red spray paint. He then placed a sticker to obscure the camera lens.

View post on X

Owner Idan Tzameret reported the vandalism and called it a “hate crime” Thursday morning. The shop, which has an Israeli flag flying near the entrance, had red paint dripped down the front door and windows.

Advertise with us

Tzameret said it wasn’t the first time someone tampered with his property. Earlier this year, someone pasted posters on his backyard fence that called for “ending the genocide” and the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And about a year ago, someone spray-painted a swastika on one of the Israeli flags.

He said he only felt more encouraged to add Israeli flags to his property. He already has a new flag displayed on the store.

Kitchen Design by Idan, on Falls Rd in East Baltimore county near the city line was vandalized at 11:58pm Wednesday night. A police officer is seen removing a sticker that covered the Ring camera.
Kitchen Design by Idan on Falls Road in Baltimore County was vandalized late Wednesday night. (Nori Leybengrub/The Baltimore Banner)
Kitchen Design by Idan, on Falls Rd in East Baltimore county near the city line was vandalized at 11:58pm Wednesday night. Business owner Idan Tzameret uses a knife to peel off the spray paint.
Kitchen Design by Idan on Falls Road in Baltimore County was vandalized with red paint on Wednesday night. Business owner Idan Tzameret uses a knife to peel it off. (Nori Leybengrub/The Baltimore Banner)

The business is located on a busy thoroughfare along Falls Road. Azi Rosenblum, who lives off Old Pimlico Road, also reported having red paint sprayed on his property. Rosenblum displayed the names and photos of hostages held in Gaza, and those signs have been destroyed.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, anti-Israel sentiments and anti-Muslim hate have been on the rise. Antisemitic incidents have also seen a sharp increase, according to the FBI’s hate crime data, with a 200% rise in 2024.

The Hamas-led militant killings of 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel triggered the war. Hamas militants also took 251 hostages. Israel has since killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, pushed the territory toward famine and displaced most of the population.

Advertise with us

Wagner is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 7. He did not have an attorney listed as of Saturday afternoon.

Reporter Nori Leybengrub contributed to this report.

Correction: A caption in this story has been updated to correct the spelling of Kitchen Design by Idan.