Some of the graffiti Portsmouth teen Loren Faulkner is accused of leaving across the city of Portsmouth.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Portsmouth, New Hampshire 17-year-old is facing multiple civil rights complaints, after he allegedly went on a spree of antisemitic, homophobic vandalism all across the city.
In a civil complaint, the state accuses high schooler Loren Faulkner of spray-painting 18 separate homes, businesses, and places of worship in February 2023 — all on one day. Among the prolific incidents, the teen allegedly sprayed swastikas on a Jewish synagogue and painted over a rainbow-colored park bench at the Portsmouth Place Apartments.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella argues all of the vandalism was politically and religiously targeted, not random.
In the same complaint, the AG said this wasn't even the first time Faulkner went on a spray-painting spree. The 17-year-old is accused of stealing and burning a Ukrainian flag in 2022 and sending a recording to nearly his entire sophomore high school class. In the same week, Faulkner allegedly tagged the local Masonic Lodge and other places with hateful graffiti, telling "Jews" and "Gays" to "Get The [Expletive] Out."
Each violation of the state's civil rights law carries a penalty of up to $5,000 — in all, the 22 counts all together could cost the teenager more than $100,000.
A Rockingham Superior Court judge has already granted an emergency restraining order against Faulkner, prohibiting him from getting close to or contacting the spray-painted locations.
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