WSVN — A disturbing discovery for a South Florida couple after a routine oil change. They found a swastika painted underneath their vehicle. Investigative reporter Carmel Cafiero is on the case.
If you have a car, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve never looked underneath it. Emily Pierre-Louis and her boyfriend Josue Lubin didn’t… until recently. And when they did, they got a big surprise — a blue swastika painted on the oil pan.
Carmel Cafiero: “And it’s been up there for months now and you’ve been driving around with it?”
Emily Pierre-Louis. “Yes ma’am.”
They say it happened at this Wal-Mart in Pompano Beach during a routine oil change last November.
Josue Lubin: “To me, I feel like it was really offensive since the Holocaust and stuff like that.”
For three months, the young couple had no idea it was there. But when it was time for the next oil change, Josue took it to a dealership where the ugly symbol was discovered.
Josue Lubin: “And I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah, come in and see it before we start work on it.”
The swastika appears to be painted with sealant and it looks like somebody tried to scratch it off. The couple worried something else might have been tampered with.
Carmel Cafiero: “Did it frighten you?”
Emily Pierre-Louis: “Yes it did. It frightened me to the point that I was like, I was scared driving the car. It was shaking with me and I was like, ‘Oh my God.'”
Emily says the oil change went smoothly, so there is no reason why a worker would be unhappy with her. When she found out about the swastika, she called Wal-Mart to complain.
Emily Pierre-Louis: “First, they asked me if I was Jewish.”
And later they went to the store to complain in-person.
Josue Lubin: “They kinda made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. And I was like, ‘Woah, woah, woah, you have a racist person working on other people’s cars.'”
They say weeks passed and no one from the store ever responded. But it turns out Wal-Mart fired the worker, and says the couple should have been told.
A spokesperson sent this statement: “We hold our associates to high standards and this is unacceptable. As soon as we were made aware, we investigated the incident and the associate no longer works for the company. We apologize to the customer for this incident.”
Wal-Mart believes this was an isolated case, but the couple worries they might not be the only victims.
Josue Lubin: “Exactly.”
Emily Pierre-Louis: “And you don’t know how many people he targeted already.”
After 7News contacted Wal-Mart, they agreed to remove the swastika. And for Emily and Josue, getting rid of the symbol of evil was a big relief. Carmel Cafiero, 7News.
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