Police are investigating a third suspected hate crime at New York's Columbia University after a swastika was spray-painted on the office door of a Jewish faculty member on Wednesday

The university said in a statement that the swastika was spray-painted on the door of a Jewish faculty member at Teachers' College on Wednesday

Police said they were investigating the incident but declined further comment

"We feel we've been targeted precisely because Teachers College is, and historically has been, a center for deep multicultural work," Susan Furhman, the president of Teachers College, said in a statement

New York City is known for its racial and ethnic diversity, and the suspected hate crimes follow recent national attention and protests in Jena, Louisiana, where three nooses were found hanging from a tree at a high school there last year