uschools/iSTock(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — A New York family found two swastikas drawn on the mattress when they returned to their room at the South Florida hotel they were staying at, according to police.
The Surfside Police Department was called to the Grand Beach Hotel in Surfside, Florida — about 6 miles north of Miami Beach — Sunday around 10 p.m. after the family found the offensive symbols drawn on the mattress of the crib they requested, Surfside Police Sgt. Marian Cruz told ABC News.
Zipora Waltner, a mother of four, told Fox Miami affiliate WSVN said she did a “double-take” even though she was “certain it was a swastika.”
Waltner and her husband then had to explain to their children why the furniture was unacceptable, Waltner said, describing the ordeal as “horrific” and “frightening to see.” The family had attended a Holocaust Remembrance Day event earlier that day.
“It’s also very hurtful because it relates to my family very deeply,” she said.
Hotel staff was sympathetic to the family’s concerns and moved them to another Grand Beach Hotel location in Miami Beach, according to WSVN.
A Surfside Police officer impounded the mattress as evidence earlier this week, Cruz said.
The case is still under investigation, and police are reviewing surveillance video and interviewing hotel staff, Cruz said.
ABC News could not reach a hotel manager for comment. Calls to the front desk went unanswered.
Waltner said she hopes the incident is not “brushed under the rug.”
“It’s a delicate situation, and it can’t be ignored,” she told WSVN.
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