Vandals target New Jersey karate studio for 3rd time leaving owner, community fed up

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ - A community is upset after a beloved business was hit by vandals over the weekend.  The front window at Kenkojuku Karate in Collingswood, N.J. was smashed early Sunday morning.

"Somebody targeted us for some reason and I don’t understand why," said Andrew Faupel, owner of Kenkojuku Karate.

Faupel says this is the third time his business has been vandalized in the last several months.

"We put up a pride flag back in June for pride month and that flag was stolen from in front of the dojo," explained Faupel.  "I didn’t think anything of it.  I just replaced it." 

But then, it happened again.  

Last fall, a second pride flag was stolen, and the flagpole was broken. It was finally replaced this weekend.  The karate school openly supports the LGBTQ+ community and says it stands up for inclusion of every kind.

"It’s the only thing I could possibly think of that it’s related to and I hope I’m wrong, but nothing else makes sense," said Faupel.

Collingswood police confirm they're investigating the vandalism that happened early Sunday morning. Faupel is hoping they can catch the person responsible, but In the meantime, Kenkojuku is standing strong and practicing what it teaches.

"You get knocked down, you stand back up again, right?"  Faupel strongly stated, "This, in no way, deters us from continuing training and our mission and helping the community and being in the town parade and supporting everybody in town, as inclusive as we’ve ever been."

Anyone with information about this case should contact the Collingswood Police Department at 856-854-1901.