JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ — Swastikas, the phrase “Heil Hitler,” and racist graffiti were found inside the abandoned former Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Jackson Township (Ocean County), local authorities and media have confirmed.
The incident occurred Thursday night, July 30, 2026. A group of approximately seven teenagers or young adults allegedly broke into the building at 35 South Hope Chapel Road, broke a window, and caused property damage. On a chalkboard in one classroom, they left a series of hateful messages, including a swastika, the phrase “Heil Hitler,” and a racial slur directed at Black people. Video circulating online shows the group, most wearing hoodies and some in masks, walking through the hallways of the former school — one of them carrying a student desk.
Investigation Underway
Jackson police are investigating the case as a possible bias incident rather than ordinary vandalism. Officers are reviewing surveillance footage and seeking witnesses.
A Sensitive Moment for the New Owner
The building is especially sensitive because its sale to Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), the largest yeshiva in the United States, based in neighboring Lakewood, was finalized just two days earlier, on July 29, for $40 million. The school, named after teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe, who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion, closed at the end of June 2025 — the second Jackson public school to close in the past two years amid declining enrollment and reduced state funding.
Jackson Township Council President Mordechai Burnstein called the incident unsettling. “BMG is the largest and one of the most prestigious Jewish schools in the world. Two days after purchasing and getting things ready, the building is broken into and ransacked,” Burnstein said.
BMG Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Gleiberman said in an email: “We are concerned about this incident, and more specifically about antisemitic and racist statements left by the perpetrators. Antisemitism and racism have no place in our society, and we call on elected officials and community leaders to unequivocally condemn this hatred.”
Officials React
Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-Lakewood) sharply condemned the incident: “A swastika painted inside a Jewish-owned building is not teenage mischief or ordinary vandalism. It is an unmistakable message of intimidation. Those responsible must be identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable.”
Schnall went further, calling for a broader reckoning over what he described as an increasingly hostile political climate toward Orthodox Jewish residents in Jackson and neighboring communities: “Hate does not begin with broken windows and spray paint. A condemnation issued after a swastika appears is hollow if the same leaders remain silent while an entire community is demeaned day after day.”
Previous Incidents Reported
Local media have also reported several recent vandalism incidents involving Orthodox Jewish institutions in Jackson, including damage to buildings and reports of swastikas at Jewish properties. Authorities have not publicly stated whether those incidents are connected to the current investigation.
Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. The investigation remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. The investigation is ongoing.
Sources: The Lakewood Scoop (X: @LakewoodScoop); Shore News Network; NJ1015; Yahoo News/USA Today.