In the first incident, a 15-year-old boy allegedly used his fingers to draw swastika symbols on a snow-covered car in the Lake Hiawatha section of town on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19, police said. He was accompanied by three other boys, police said.
On Jan. 19 at 9:44 p.m., the spouse of the car owner saw the foursome and called police. Officer Matthew LaManna and Det. Sgt. Richard Ala then quickly found the boys on North Beverwyck Road, police said.
The four boys, who are all students at Parsippany High School, were taken to police headquarters, where they allegedly admitted drawing the swastika on the car that night, as well as on the previous night of Jan. 18, police said.
Police then also learned that two of these boys were responsible for lighting a pack of firecrackers inside the Yogi Divine Society of New Jersey on Lincoln Avenue in Lake Hiawatha on Jan. 18 at 4:30 p.m., police said. The firecrackers created a burnt spot on the floor of the temple, police said.
Two other boys, who are freshman at Parsippany High School, also were involved in the firecracker incident and were charged in the case, police said.
All six boys were charged with criminal mischief and bias intimidation. The four older boys who were taken into custody on Jan. 19 were released to their parents.