A 33-year-old man is in custody after surveillance footage allegedly showed him spray-painting swastikas on at least five cars in a south St. Louis neighborhood. 

Daniel Joseph Hughes faces two felony counts of first-degree property damage. Court documents show he is homeless. 

Police arrested him April 13, two days after the vandalism occurred in an alley near the 1900 block of Utah Street. Neighbors discovered the markings the next morning. 

Neighbors also recognized the person of interest in the video and contacted police. 

Officers arrested Hughes in the same neighborhood. He confessed to the crime after being advised of his Miranda rights. 

He is also facing an active warrant for trespassing and ripping wire from a vacant building. 

Jewish Federation of St. Louis President and CEO Danny Cohn said swastikas don’t belong in the city, which has a Jewish population of about 61,000, one of the largest in the Midwest. 

“Acts like this are meant to intimidate and spread hate, and they have no place in our community,” Cohn said. 

This is not the first time similar incidents have occurred in the St. Louis region. 

Graffiti, including swastikas, appeared at Affton High School and Rogers Middle School in March 2025. Police arrested two juveniles in May 2025 after racist markings were found at Glenridge Elementary School in Clayton. 

(Image credit: KMOV)