Police in Montgomery county have arrested an 18-year-old after swastikas and vulgar messages were spray-painted at Upper Moreland Elementary School.
Law enforcement officials have apprehended an 18-year-old Upper Moreland resident after swastikas and other vulgar messages were spray-painted at an elementary school earlier this month.
According to police, on Monday, March 17, 2025, an 18-year-old was apprehended and charged -- though police did not provide more information on this individual's gender or other identifying details -- with vandalism, criminal mischief, trespassing and other offenses involved after Upper Moreland Elementary School was targeted earlier this month.
Officials said that the initial incident happened at about 11:50 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025, when two people in a red vehicle drove to the parking lot of the elementary school, along the 3900 block of Orangemans Road in Harboro, and vandalized the building.
In this incident, police said, swastikas, vulgar words and drawings were left spray-painted on the elementary school and playground equipment.
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Upper Moreland Schools Superintendent Dr. Sue Elliott released a statement to district families:
"We are grateful to the UMPD for their diligence to investigate and find the person responsible for this vandalism that included hateful speech and racism," Elliott wrote.
The person arrested isn't currently a Upper Moreland School District student, she wrote.
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"At Upper Moreland School District, we strive to become a school community where every student, family, and staff member feels a sense of belonging," Elliott wrote. "Every member of our school community should feel safe, valued, and heard. Hateful speech does not represent who we are or who we wish to be."
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