A man who allegedly painted a swastika and a reference to an Elon Musk company on the side of a Foster City synagogue in June is now in custody, according to police.

The Foster City Police Department said Thursday that Yoichi David Suruki, 28, confessed to the Peninsula Sinai Congregation graffiti while he was already being held in connection to three graffiti incidents targeting Teslas, which are built by Musk’s electric car company.

The arrest of Suruki, who previously lived in Foster City, was welcome news to Matthew Parks, president of the Conservative synagogue targeted with the vandalism, which is classified as a hate crime. The congregation hadn’t faced an antisemitic incident like that in 40 years, synagogue leaders told J. when it happened.

“We are grateful for the diligence of our local law enforcement,” Parks said Friday in an email to J. “This arrest will definitely set the minds of our membership at ease, especially leading into the High Holy Day season.”

A congregant noticed the graffiti while out for a walk on June 18. It bore a swastika in black paint, next to the name and logo of Neuralink, Musk’s controversial company that aims to implant technology inside people’s brains. The graffiti was painted over the following day.

This arrest will definitely set the minds of our membership at ease, especially leading into the High Holy Day season.

Foster City police said the big break in the investigation came on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Officers in nearby Burlingame, who had learned about the synagogue incident through what’s known as the Critical Reach communication system, called to say they knew of “three vandalisms of Tesla cars with the same spray-painted words” in July and August. Burlingame police had identified Suruki as the alleged culprit of the Tesla vandalism incidents using video footage and had him in custody.

When Foster City police interviewed the suspect, the police department’s press release said, he “admitted to the vandalism at the synagogue.”

Court documents show that Suruki has a prior arrest this year for allegedly fleeing the scene of an accident, which is a felony. In March, San Mateo Superior Court appointed a doctor to examine his mental health.

Suruki is being held at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, with bail set at $100,000. He is charged with five felonies related to the graffiti charges: two counts related to the synagogue and three related to the Teslas. He pleaded not guilty on Thursday in San Mateo Superior Court.

According to the relevant hate crime statute, Suruki is charged with committing a crime motivated by prejudice and “committed for the purpose of intimidating and deterring persons from freely exercising their religious beliefs.”

“This case is a great example of the collaboration between San Mateo County agencies,” Foster City Police said in an unattributed quote in the release. “The graffiti on the synagogue was harmful and adversely impacted the congregation and the community, so solving this case was a priority.”