According to police, officers responded to reports of hate symbols painted on the bench near 12th Street and Ocean Drive in Lummus Park. Investigators found the words “Adolf was here” alongside a swastika. Police said city surveillance cameras captured one man drawing the graffiti while the other appeared to block the public’s view. The men were later tracked to the Colony Hotel and detained. The suspects were identified as Christoph Rehak and Gunther Manfred Jekschtat of Germany. They confessed to the action during questioning. Miami Beach police spokesman Christopher Bess called the vandalism “an egregious act of hate” and said authorities hope prosecutors elevate the case to a hate crime felony. Both men currently face first-degree misdemeanor charges.
