City fire marshals on Saturday arrested a man they said tagged a Manhattan firehouse and a string of FDNY ambulances with swastikas over the past week.

"I've been here almost 20 years and it's not the kind of community where I would expect to see something as disgusting as that. Really caught me off-guard," Washington heights resident Adriana Matiz said.

Jem Ibrahimov, 43, faces multiple charges, including aggravated harassment.

The fire marshals said the Manhattan resident was apprehended in the morning as they were watching over Engine 93/Ladder 45 in Washington Heights. Officials said he was attempting to vandalize the firehouse again.

Swastikas and profanities were found spray-painted on a garage door of the firehouse earlier this week. The black marker scrawled out derogatory claims, appeared to be levied against the city fire department, calling the FDNY pedophiles, rapists, and Nazis. The man's exact motive is not clear.

Authorities said Ibrahimov also wrote slurs on the same firehouse door last Sunday, and painted similar graffiti on at least four FDNY ambulances.

Some people who live in the area said the graffiti was particularly stinging because the diverse neighborhood includes a large Jewish community, with Yeshiva University around the corner.

"I think it's something bad that people do because they don't feel good about themselves," local resident Nicole Santos said.

Firefighters used pages of the New York Daily News to shield people passing by from the hate-filled markings before getting the green light to paint them over Friday afternoon.