Moonachie, N.J., police are investigating a robbery and vandalism at the apartment New York Giants fullback Nikita Whitlock shares with his wife and two young children.

Whitlock told WCBS-TV that jewelry and video games were stolen during a break-in Tuesday night. But much more disturbing, he said, were the racist words and symbols — including the N-word, a swastika, “KKK” and “Go Back to Africa” — scrawled in marker on inside walls.

“It just re-establishes that no matter where you are, no matter who you are, this can happen to you,” he told WCBS-TV, which reported it was the second break-in at the residence in the six months the family has lived there.

Whitlock covered the hateful graffiti with sheets to prevent his 6-year-old son from seeing it, but posted a photo of some of it on Instagram.


“Racism is real and instead of close to home this time they came inside,” he wrote with the photo. “My family is safe but we are saddened by the hate.”

The second-year Whitlock is on injured reserve with a foot injury. He is also serving a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Whitlock and his family were only gone for a few hours when the incident occurred, he told WCBS-TV. He thinks the robbers broke in through a small window.

“It’s very disgusting; actually, it’s very disheartening,” his wife, Ashley Whitlock, said. “You hear about things that do happen but you never think ‘Oh, this is going to happen to me.’”


Whitlock added: “It’s about to be 2017. Oppression, violence, racism, hatred, violence — there’s no need for that.”


charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii