31-Year-Old Gun Control Activist Charged After Filming Himself Spray Painting His Website Over Victims’ Names at 9/11 Memorial
Key Takeaways
- Jonathan Andrew Tijerina, 31, was arrested Monday after spray painting his website name in red across victim names at the 9/11 Memorial's North Tower reflecting pool.
- Tijerina recorded himself committing the act and posted the videos to Instagram, where he identified himself by name.
- He faces charges of criminal mischief, making graffiti, and possession of graffiti instruments filed in Manhattan Criminal Court.
- A World Trade Center Memorial security officer caught Tijerina, who was still carrying two spray cans matching the color of the graffiti.
- Tijerina was arraigned Tuesday, granted supervised release because the charges are not bail eligible, and is due back in court Jan. 13.
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NEW YORK, NY — A 31-year-old gun control activist was arrested Monday evening after spray painting his website’s name in red across the names of dozens of victims on the 9/11 Memorial’s North Tower reflecting pool.
Jonathan Andrew Tijerina is charged with criminal mischief, making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments, according to a complaint filed in Manhattan Criminal Court, as reported by the New York Post. The red markings read “Juststopkillingkids.com.”
He recorded the whole thing. Videos posted to Instagram show him walking up to the memorial, pulling a spray can from his bag and writing his message across several panels, the Post reported.
“My name is Jon Tijerina and I’ve just spray-painted ‘just stop killing kids’ on the 9/11 Memorial,” he said in a video posted to his group’s Instagram account.
A World Trade Center Memorial security officer caught him. He was carrying two cans of spray paint matching the color of the graffiti, according to prosecutors. The complaint says he claimed he was “trying to spread awareness.”
A worker who cleans the memorial put the repair cost at $560.64, according to the complaint. Police put the damage at more than $2,500, the Post reported. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum said the paint has been removed.
“The 9/11 Memorial is a sacred place of reflection at the heart of a rebuilt World Trade Center that honors the 2,983 victims killed in the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 terrorist attacks. Yesterday’s brief incident was swiftly addressed by security staff and law enforcement, and the impacted area was immediately restored to its commemorative state,” a Memorial spokesperson told CBS New York.
Tijerina’s organization, Juststopkillingkids, framed the arrest as a win in a follow-up Instagram post: “On October 26, 2026, Jon Tijerina was arrested for spraying red paint on Freedom Tower in NYC. He is demanding that Trump and Mamdani enforce common-sense, highly popular demands with respect to guns such as Universal Background Checks and a National Gun Registry.” The post also said “guns are a moral emergency in this country.”
The same post said Tijerina had just ended a seven-day fast demanding 2 million housing units be created in New York City by 2031. He complained Monday that the fast drew no attention, according to the Post. His website promotes “nonviolent civil resistance” as the way to change laws. Poor guy. A week without food didn’t get noticed, so the next move was red paint on the 9/11 Memorial? It looks like someone convinced he is doing the right thing, chasing a viral moment with no common sense behind it.
“The First Amendment does not give a license for vandalism, and this brazen act should be roundly condemned in all corners,” said City Councilman David Carr, the council’s minority leader.
“This was not a protest, nor did it bring attention to this person’s supposed cause,” said Frank Conti, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association.
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City Council Speaker Julie Menin posted on X: “Any defacement of the memorial, no matter the reason or cause, is wholly unacceptable. I’m grateful to @NYPDnews for their swift arrest of a suspect in this despicable act.”
Tijerina was arraigned Tuesday night. He was granted supervised release, meaning he was let go under court monitoring instead of held, because the charges are not bail eligible, according to prosecutors. He is due back in court Jan. 13.
Read the original story: 31-Year-Old Gun Control Activist Charged After Filming Himself Spray Painting His Website Over Victims’ Names at 9/11 Memorial