OCEAN GROVE - Police are searching for whoever scrawled swastikas, racial slurs, "sexually perverse pictures" and other images in soap on several vehicles in incidents authorities suspect were connected to Mischief Night, which was Tuesday.

Neptune police were first called to the area about 8 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a car that had been vandalized. Officers ultimately received reports from 14 car owners whose vehicles had been defaced overnight in the north end of Ocean Grove near Asbury Park, Neptune police Capt. Michael McGhee said.

Officers took pictures of the vandalized cars and then cleaned them, McGhee said. There was no damage to any of the vehicles.

He said police are investigating the incidents as criminal mischief cases and some are being treated as bias incidents because of their offensive content. You can see a video of bicyclists in Ocean Grove reacting above this story.

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McGhee said it does not appear that the victims were specifically targeted, and police do not suspect the messages were intended to intimidate any particular racial or religious group.

In a Facebook post Thursday police asked anyone with information on the vandalism, which they also referred to as a bias incident, to call them at 732-988-800 ext. 432.

Tipsters can also leave anonymous leads on the department's website under the "contact" tab, download the department's mobile application through iTunes or Google Play or submit information through the Monmouth County Crime Stoppers.

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The vandalism comes less than a week after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue sparked a nationwide conversation about anti-Semitism. McGhee said the department is sensitive to concerns about the political climate, but given that the incident occurred on Mischief Night, a night that is traditionally an occasion for pranks and less malevolent vandalism, police do not suspect the messages and drawings were politically motivated.

Barbara Burns, president of the Ocean Grove Homeowners Association, said she was aware of the incidents. She said at least one vehicle on her street had a swastika placed on it and another had the n-word placed on the vehicle.

“It’s hard to know whether they were targeted directly,” she said, referring to the owners of the vehicles.

Neptune Deputy Mayor Carol Rizzo the incident was "obviously very troubling to people."

"I’ve been here for 18 years and this is one of the most diverse communities I’ve ever lived in," she said. "I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this."

But Rizzo said the community should view this as simply "something that happened during Mischief Night."

"I don't think we should give it anymore credence than that," she said.

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Andrew Goudsward: @AGoudsward; 732-897-4555; agoudsward@gannettnj.com