Teenage anti-Israel protester learns actions have consequences after arrest for allegedly defacing WWI memorial

New York City police have arrested a teenager for allegedly vandalizing a World War I memorial in Central Park.

On Monday, a group of anti-Israel protesters desecrated the 107th Infantry Memorial that sits on the edge of Central Park on the Upper East Side. Protesters defaced the memorial by spraying "Gaza" and "Free Palestine" on it, while another protester burned an American flag near the memorial.

"These people are just nuts and violent."

The group of anti-Israel protesters reportedly tried to disrupt the Met Gala, but police blocked them from doing so. They apparently settled for vandalizing the war memorial instead.

On Thursday, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry announced the arrest of the one of the alleged vandals, a 16-year-old boy, according to the New York Post.

"The despicable vandalism we saw earlier this week on the WWI Memorial will not be ignored, and will not go unpunished. One of the culprits was placed in handcuffs today thanks to the World’s Greatest Detectives. This isn’t simply juvenile hijinks — it’s an act of desecration that undermines the freedoms our heroes fought and died for," Daughtry said on social media.

Investigators were able to identify the teenager with the help of a "school safety agent," Fox News reported.

The teenager is charged with four crimes: two counts of criminal mischief in the third degree, a felony, and two counts of making graffiti, a misdemeanor.

Fortunately, a cleanup crew was able to wash the graffiti from the war memorial the day after the incident.

Meanwhile, Upper East Side residents who live near the memorial did not hide their feelings about the anti-Israel protesters.

"These people are just nuts and violent," Michael Skol told the New York Post. "There’s not much thinking going on on the part of these Palestinian supporters. It's pure violence; it's pure stupidity."

"In this country, you have a right to voice your opinion, but not destroy memorials that pay tribute to heroes who died for our country," added Ron Zucher. "The protesters don't know our history and are ignorant of the sacrifices people made before them."

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