By: Richard L. Smith
A Newark man has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of graffiti vandalism incidents that damaged businesses and residential properties across the city, according to Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr.
Authorities identified the suspect as Koreem Fields, 53, of Newark.
He faces charges of conspiracy and criminal mischief following an investigation conducted by the Newark Police Environmental, Graffiti, and Vice Crimes Task Force.
The investigation began on January 4, 2026, after a resident living near Jacob Street and Springfield Avenue reported seeing two males spray-painting graffiti on the exterior wall of an apartment building.
The incident was captured on a Ring camera, and the suspects were observed fleeing northbound toward 16th Avenue.
As detectives expanded their investigation, they uncovered a pattern of graffiti complaints from business owners along Stuyvesant Avenue between Rockland Terrace and Underwood Street.
Several property owners reported repeatedly covering up graffiti only to have new markings appear shortly afterward, often in different colors.
Business owners also expressed frustration over being cited under a city ordinance that holds property owners responsible for removing graffiti from their buildings.
Detectives documented the suspect’s distinctive graffiti tag and shared photographs with the New York City Police Department’s Vandalism Task Force. Investigators there identified Fields as a possible suspect.
Newark detectives subsequently obtained a search warrant for a social media account operating under the name “HISTORYOFVIOLENCE8.”
According to investigators, the account contained images and videos displaying the same graffiti tag found throughout Newark. 
Detectives also recovered video footage allegedly showing Fields spray-painting graffiti in the 100 block of Stuyvesant Avenue.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Newark Police Division.