Graffiti left on Westmoreland Avenue where three cars were set on fire Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.
CLAYTON — Police have been searching for six weeks for the arsonist who torched cars and wrote antisemitic messages on a residential street in Clayton.
Investigators have now released a video showing a “person of interest†walking in the area around the time of the fires.
Police are asking the public’s help in identifying the person.
The fires were set around 3 a.m. in the 7500 block of Westmoreland Avenue on Aug. 5. No one was injured, but three vehicles were set ablaze.
The resident targeted by the arsonist has ties to the Israel Defense Forces, the national military of Israel. The graffiti, in white spray paint, included the resident’s name and said “Death to the IDF.â€
Police call it a hate crime, and the FBI is helping in the investigation. No one has been arrested.
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Video from home surveillance shows someone walking in the area that morning — including stopping in a driveway, looking around, then turning to walk the opposite direction.
The video quality isn’t crisp enough, Clayton police Cpl. Jenny Schwartz said Tuesday, and police don’t know the person’s gender, race or approximate age.
The person is seen wearing a white sweatshirt in one video and all dark clothing in another video.
“It’s the same person wearing different clothing,†Schwartz said.
The person is wearing shoes with a distinctive white or light-colored sole, and has a light-colored fanny pack or crossbody-style bag across the chest.
The videos were taken a few hours apart, but both were on Aug. 5 and in the same block of Westmoreland where the cars were torched, Schwartz said. That block of Westmoreland is off of North Hanley Road.
Police got the home surveillance video weeks ago but held off on releasing it to the public, Schwartz said, hoping investigators would get better images.
“Unfortunately, as you can tell, they’re not the best quality,†Schwartz said. “But we’re hoping because those shoes and the bag that is slung across the individual’s chest are pretty distinctive, that hopefully someone will recognize those things and point us in the right direction.â€
As of this week, a reward in the case has increased to $42,000. The reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. The Jewish Federation of 911±¬ÁÏÍø and the Anti-Defamation League each put up $15,000; the Jewish National Defense Network is offering $10,000 and CrimeStoppers is offering $2,000.
Danny Cohn, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of 911±¬ÁÏÍø, said in statement Tuesday, “We appreciate the ongoing diligence of law enforcement to investigate this hate crime, and with the help of the newly released footage, bring the perpetrator to justice.â€
Cohn added that “acts of antisemitism are not only a threat to the safety of Jewish people, but to everyone across the community we share.â€
Anyone with information is asked to call Clayton police at 314-290-8414 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
This is one of three vehicles that were set on fire in the 7500 block of Westmoreland Avenue, in Clayton, where antisemitic graffiti was left on the street on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.
A source confirmed that the resident targeted by the arsonist has ties to the Israel Defense Forces, the national military of Israel. The graffiti included the resident's name and said "Death to the IDF."
Clayton police say an arsonist set three vehicles on fire and left antisemitic graffiti about 3 a.m. Aug. 5 on a residential street.
