Interracial Couple’s House Explodes, Swastika Found On Scene
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Aiden Pink August 14, 2019
An Ohio family’s house exploded last week in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime after finding a swastika spray-painted on the garage, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.
The house of Brad and Angela Frase in Sterling, 50 miles south of Cleveland, exploded at around 12:50 a.m. on August 8, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. The Frases were not present, having moved to a hotel after an electrical fire in the house in early July.
On August 5, three days before the explosion, neighbors called the fire department to report the smell of natural gas at the abandoned house. “The Sterling Fire District was first called to the residence on Monday (Aug. 5) after an unknown suspect(s) unsuccessfully attempted to ignite the home by filling it with natural gas and turning the stove burner on,” Sterling Fire Chief Josh Glessner said in a statement. “However, the gas and electric utilities had previously been disconnected.”
After the explosion on the 8th, police discovered a swastika and a spray-painted racial slur on the detached garage.
Brad Frese is white and Angela Frese is black. It is not known if either of them are Jewish, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.
“Our goal is to get to the truth of the matter,” said Capt. Doug Hunter of the sheriff’s department. “It would be improper to place a timeline on those who are doing the investigation.”
Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
