Man charged with spray painting swastikas on car and ‘White Power’ on Revere street, police say

REVERE, Mass. — A Revere man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after police say he spray painted Nazi symbolism on a car and the words “White Power” on the ground.

Jason Pagliuca, 38, is accused of spray painting several swastikas on a car parked on Lantern Road and the words “White Power” on the street on June 11.

Pagliuca was arraigned on Wednesday, July 1 on charges of defacement of real or personal property and assault, assault and battery or property damage for the purpose of intimidation (based on the victim’s race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability).

According to the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR-MA), the owner of the car spray painted with swastikas belongs to a Muslim woman.

The victim, who wants to remain anonymous, said her car has been vandalized before “but at least this time, someone was arrested. I used to lie awake at night, worrying about my car; now I feel safer.”

Revere Police say that, thanks to help from the public, they were able to issue a search warrant for Pagliuca’s home where they recovered evidence directly related to the case, leading to his arrest.

“The men and women of the Revere Police Department work tirelessly to ensure every Revere resident feels safe, welcomed and protected,” said Revere Police Chief Dave Callahan. “The arrest in this case should serve as a warning to anyone who seeks to intimidate or spread hate in our city. As always, we will investigate any report of a hate crime vigorously and we will work in partnership with the District Attorney’s office to prosecute these heinous crimes to the fullest extent of the law. I’m grateful for the diligent work of our detectives in this case and to the members of the community who assisted us in this investigation.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for alerts on breaking news stories like this one.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter.

Watch Boston 25 News NOW