A former NYPD cop said he went on an anti-Semitic graffiti rampage in a largely Hasidic Brooklyn neighborhood because “cheap” Jews stiffed him when he was a deliveryman, new court papers state.
Michael Setiawan, 36, was arraigned Friday via a video-conference from Bellevue Hospital, where he has been under observation since his arrest, the Brooklyn district attorney said Tuesday.
When arresting officers asked Setiawan why he vandalized cars, storefronts and a school with swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti, he answered, “Because I don’t like those people,” court papers state.
When cops asked why he didn’t like Jewish people, Setiawan answered, “Because they’re cheap … When I was a delivery man they never gave me anything, ” the papers state.
The former police officer allegedly used pink spray-paint to scrawl, “F–k you Jew,” and “Jews ain’t s–t” on vehicles and buildings in Borough Park as his victims celebrated Sabbath on May 3.
“Hate crimes such as these are hurtful and must not be tolerated in a civilized society, particularly in Brooklyn, where we embrace diversity,” Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson said in a statement.
Setiawan was arraigned on a 39-count indictment that could get him up to 36 years behind bars, the DA said in a press release.
Setiawan — who even tagged the Bnos Zion Bobov Elementary School — was held on $75,000 bail and will next appear in court on May 30, 2014.
He also told cops, “I’m scared [of] being here forever,” according to the court papers.
The unhinged ex-cop wrote on the bottom of a sheet notifying him of his rights, “F—k you f—k you Wong … F—k you 68 pct,” the court papers state.
Setiawan gave news photographers a goofy smile with his tongue out after he was collared at his Queens home on May 4, 2014.
Asked by a reporter if he’s an anti-Semite as he walked out a precinct earlier this month, Setiawan answered, “No.’’
Former colleagues of Setiawan said he had depression and had tried to kill himself.