NEW YORK (TND) — A $15,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anti-Israel protesters who police said vandalized a World War I memorial in New York.

Mayor Eric Adams said he is putting up $5,000 of his own money, while Crime Stoppers announced they are contributing $10,000.

Adams, along with police, said the 107th Infantry Memorial in Central Park was defaced. He described the vandals as "cowards" who disrespected the freedoms soldiers gave their lives to defend.

The mayor said while he knows how important free speech is, noting it "is the core of our democracy," the vandalism is untolerable. He urged protesters to be passionate, but advised them not to be hateful or violent.

We are going to treat this crime with the seriousness that it deserves," Adams said Tuesday during a news conference. "It is a top priority for us to solve this crime. And I'm not just putting my money where my mouth is -- I'm going to put it where my heart is. My heart is in this city and in this country and I will not stand by while people desecrate memorials for those who fought for democracy and human rights -- the same rights that they are calling for."

Police shared photos of the suspects, which show someone writing on the monument with what appears to be a marker.

New York City, take a close look," NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry wrote on X. "We need your help identifying the criminals who vandalized the WWI Memorial in the vicinity of Central Park last night. This despicable act of vandalism undermines the freedoms so many fought and died for. It has no gone unnoticed, and will not go unpunished."

Ahead of the conference, which as held in front of the memorial, Adams and members of the New York City Department of Veterans' Services (NYC DVS) inspected the memorial after the graffiti was removed. The city's department of parks and recreation scrubbed the monument clean.

The statue that was defaced in Central Park last night holds the memory of a generation of WWI soldiers -- sentinels who were lost defending the freedoms that we as Americans hold dear," said NYC DVS Commissioner James Hendon. "Men and women fought so that Americans could speak out without fear of reprisal from their government, leaving their loved ones behind to join a cause greater than themselves. We must endeavor to respect and honor their legacy, understanding that the cost of war is too great for us to forget the sacrifices of our fallen. It is a commitment that that transcends life itself."

Adams agreed, noting that his uncle served during the Vietnam War and died defending the country at the age of 19. He said the memorial features soldiers who gave their lives protecting the nation.

"It is painful to see a memorial to bravery being vandalized by cowards in the name of protest -- one of the very freedoms those enshrined in this memorial died to protect," the mayor said. "I will not stand by while people desecrate memorials to those who fought for democracy and human rights, or disrespect the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have served their country."

Police said hundreds of protestors gathered on the Upper East Side Monday night, with authorities making at least two dozen arrests, as well as issuing multiple summonses for disorderly conduct.

Adams said protestors also vandalized the monument honoring Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan, which is just a block away from the WWI memorial.

Authorities urged anyone who has information about the vandalism by calling them at 1-800-577-TIPS or by direct messaging them on X at @NYPDTIPS.

"We cannot remain silent when our symbols of freedom are desecrated by individuals who clearly hate our country and hate our way of life," the mayor said. "I am not going to remain silent and we should not remain silent because our silence gives the belief that everything is OK -- and it is not OK."

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