Half-Dozen MS-13 Graffiti Incidents Reported In Bayside This Week

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The NYPD has received a half-dozen reports of MS-13 graffiti in the Bayside area in the last week, a police spokesperson told Patch.

The reports all came in on Sunday to the 111th Precinct, which covers Bayside, Douglaston and Oakland Gardens, police said.

It's the same day that the gang sign was found sprayed on Bayside's Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Sacred Heart Catholic Academy across the street, according to the police.

Since then, neighborhood residents have been posting photos on social media of other spots where MS-13 graffiti has appeared in the area.

MS-13 is the name commonly used to refer to the street gang Mara Salvatrucha, which was founded by immigrants from El Salvador and is responsible for more than two dozen killings on Long Island since 2016, federal authorities have said.

But law enforcement officials said last month that a bust of nearly 100 members and associates on Long Island has effectively "decimated" the gang's presence there, according to The New York Times.

It's unclear whether the same person is responsible for all six graffiti incidents.