Man Charged After Cross-Burning

A South Buffalo man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly burned a cross on the lawn of one his neighbors. 40-year-old Donald Napierala is accused of targeting a house that is occupied by four people – Hispanic and white. Police say Napierala placed a burning wooden cross two feet from the home around 1:30 a.m. The cross had been draped in a gasoline soaked rag and set on fire. The family inside was sleeping, but a neighbor witnessed the action and called the fire department. Napierala is charged with arson, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief.