BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) — Police are searching for six people in connection with Thursday’s vandalism at the home of a Columbia University administrator in Brooklyn.

The house in Brooklyn Heights belongs to COO (Chief Operating Officer) Cas Holloway.

Shortly after 5 a.m., officers received a call that people were vandalizing a house. The caller told police he heard noises around 3 a.m.

Police said two people entered the front room of the house and threw red paint and a box of insects, including crickets and mealworms, onto the floor. Another person used a hammer to smash the glass of the front door, police said.

Several other people caused damage to the front of the building by throwing paint on the building and sidewalk, police said.

Red triangles were also painted on the house. Jewish activists say these are symbols used by terrorists to mark targets they want to eliminate.

All persons fled the scene in an unknown direction.

“To me, this is an attack on all of New York,” said Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “Anti-Semitism is the canary in the coal mine. Not far behind are attacks on other communities and democracy itself.”

Leaflets were also left outside the building criticising Holloway for his handling of the protests that took place on the university campus earlier this year.

“Columbia strongly condemns vandalism, threats and personal attacks,” a Columbia University spokesperson said in a statement. “Anyone engaging in such activities will be reported to law enforcement and will face appropriate disciplinary action. Every member of our community has the right to feel safe, valued and able to thrive.”

The first person in the lobby is described as a black man, approximately 18 to 30 years old, 5’6″ tall, 150 to 160 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie (turned inside out), black pants, white sneakers, a gray baseball cap, a black face mask, and black gloves. He was also observed in the lobby of the building holding a hammer.

The second individual in the anteroom is believed to be a female who was carrying a black garbage bag and a blue book bag and was observed throwing away insects.

The third person is probably a woman dressed all in black and carrying a large black bag.

The fourth person is probably a woman wearing dark clothing and a blue mask.

The fifth person is believed to be a woman. She is wearing all black clothing, a black face mask and a red and white bag.

In addition, investigators would like to speak to the person in Media#7 who was seen in the area during the crime. He is described as a light-skinned man, approximately 18 to 30 years old, 5’10” tall, 155 lbs., and was last seen wearing a white shirt, blue pants, colorful sneakers, glasses, and carrying a green and white shopping bag.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or by emailing @NYPDTips.

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