The Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced the arrests of four individuals allegedly involved in the recent distribution of ‘wanted’ posters. The posters targeted University affiliates for involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict, sparking widespread discussions on antisemitism.
All arrested were University undergraduate students: senior Samantha Escobar, junior Jefferson Turcios, and sophomores Naomi Gutierrez and Jonathan Bermudez. Custodial arrests were conducted by the DPS Investigative Unit.
Those arrested were charged with felony criminal mischief in the second degree, according to Chief Quchee Collins. Criminal mischief occurs when an individual intentionally defaces or destroys another’s property — otherwise known as vandalism. In New York, criminal mischief in the second degree is marked as a class D felony when damages exceed $1,500.
The defendants are accused of affixing the posters between the hours of 9:12 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, according to felony complaints filed by DPS Peace Officer Joshua McCartan.
Those involved “were observed on CCTV intentionally spraying chalkboards and whiteboards with an unknown substance in spray bottles, affixing these ‘wanted’ posters to these boards, then spraying overtop of the posters with an unknown aerosolized substance,” McCartan said. “These posters were later discovered to be affixed with superglue or a similarly strong and durable adhesive.”
Each poster could not be removed without causing significant damage to the surfaces they were placed on, according to McCartan, with the estimated cost of replacement and repair over $6,000.
According to Collins, the actions were also investigated for possible hate crimes in tandem with ongoing discussions of targeted antisemitism. Despite this, the only charges currently filed were for felony criminal mischief.
“This status could possibly change over the course of the legal proceedings, however it is important to note that an action can be targeted and biased, as this was, without meeting the legal definition for prosecution as a hate crime,” Collins stated.
A University student who requested to be anonymous recollected Public Safety officers interrogating an individual before pushing them into an unmarked white vehicle.
The arrests were carried out throughout the day on Tuesday. According to University Spokesperson Sara Miller, “each person was taken into custody peacefully and using no force.”
Online, students have spoken on the nature of the arrests. An Instagram post by National Students for Justice in Palestine claims that students were “placed in an unmarked SUV with a blacked-out interior, where they were subjected to racialized intimidation tactics.” Multiple students, who requested to remain anonymous for safety reasons, corroborated the events.
University faculty, alumni, students, and community members gathered at Rochester City Court on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in support of the arrested students.
“I think with the escalations to [the] FBI, CNN, the University is trying to bully us into being quiet,” junior Sokhna Diouf said. “I think it’s important to show up and show that we are not going to be intimidated.”
Students commented both directly on the nature of the posters and on the University’s handling of the response.
“They’ve been reporting it as an attack on Jewish people. Those posters were not an attack on Jewish people,” junior Miller Gentry-Sharp said. “They were criticizing individuals who have been complicit in the ongoing apartheid and genocide in Gaza. For the University to take that and label it antisemitic, it is implying that one cannot criticize individuals for their role in ongoing Israeli apartheid without attacking all Jewish people.”
Other interviewees commented on the climate around speaking to the University’s handling of the response, including graduate student Katie Gregory.
“I’m here because I don’t think this is at all a reasonable response to what these students have been accused of,” Gregory said. “I think there’s a narrative going around that is missing a lot of information, and is being widespread.”
All four arrested students pleaded not guilty, with Bermudez and Escobar being represented by assigned counsel, Turcios by a public defender, and Gutierrez by a private attorney.
Bermudez, Escobar, and Gutierrez are next scheduled to appear in court this upcoming week on Nov. 27. Turcios is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2025.
