‘Despicable act’: Official condemns antisemitic vandalism in downtown Miami
A man who was caught on video destroying a menorah in downtown Miami Monday night has been arrested, according to Miami police.
In a video shared by county officials, a man with a backpack can be seen charging at a lit menorah, wrestling with it and then slamming it to the ground, causing the lightbulbs to break and scatter on the sidewalk. The incident happened around 7 p.m, according to police, and caused $500 in damages.
Nicholas Eichorst, 46, matched the description of the man in the footage, and an officer spotted him Tuesday morning near 112 W. Flagler St., police said. He was taken into custody and charged with one count of criminal mischief.
The menorah was displayed as a part of a Hanukkah ceremony that took place in front of the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s office at 200 NW Second Ave. Monday was the last day of Hanukkah.
Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez denounced the act, calling it “despicable” and an “attack on faith, perseverance and unity.”
“We cannot allow this kind of behavior in our community,” Fernandez told the Miami Herald. “The only way to fight darkness is with light.”
Fernandez said this was the first time that his office publicly commemorated the eight-day Jewish holiday as a way to show support and inclusion for the various faiths of his constituents. Despite the antisemitic act, Fernandez said that his office would continue with the tradition in future years.
“To every Jewish family in our community, we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend dignity, respect, and freedom of faith,” Fernandez wrote in a statement.
One moment that gave him hope, Fernandez said, was that after the vandal left, a good Samaritan who witnessed the incident came by and lifted the menorah back upright.
The act of vandalism comes at a time when anti-Jewish hate is on the rise in the United States and around the world.
South Florida Jewish communities are still mourning the recent mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people, including two rabbis and a Holocaust survivor.
Last week, more than a dozen Miami mayors gathered to call attention to rising levels of antisemitism and pledge their commitment to taking action against discrimination and hate in the community.
Eichorst waived his right to an attorney and spoke with officers at the Miami Police Department, according to an arrest affidavit.
He admitted to throwing the menorah to the ground “because he had eaten something two nights prior and didn’t know what was going on with him,” the affidavit said.
Eichorst was found guilty last month of two counts of criminal mischief property damage. He is being held on a $2,500 bond at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center, jail records show.
Rabbi Yossi Harlig, who presided over the Hanukkah ceremony last week, called the incident “heartbreaking” and “deeply disturbing.”
“To vandalize a menorah — a symbol of light, unity, and hope — is not just an act of destruction, but a painful statement about the hatred and intolerance we are confronting,” Harlig said in a statement.
Miami Herald staff writer Sofia Saric contributed to this report.
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 4:36 PM.
