New York, June 2 (IANS) The family of a 42-year-old businessman of Indian origin in Wayne, New Jersey, is living in terror after what appeared to be racially motivated vandalism at their home last weekend.

The incident, which has come to light only now, took place at the family's Toms Lake community home last Saturday.

According to media reports here, the family discovered graffiti spray-painted at the back of their two-storey house, front steps and rear patio with threats and profanities along with references to their Hindu faith and their Asian Indian descent.

According to a report on the northjersey.com website, the black, orange and neon green graffiti read threats like 'We Kill U', 'We will Fire your house', 'Watch Your Kids' and 'I HATE INDIANS' among others. Some profanities, targeting Hindus, were too vulgar to print according to the website.

Wayne in Passaic County, New Jersey, is a small township of around 54,000 people. It is a cosmopolitan community with a mix of African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Asians and Native Americans besides Whites. Asian Indians comprise around two percent of the population, according to the report.

The businessman, who was born and brought up in Tanzania and moved to Passaic in the US when he was 17, said on condition of anonymity that his three children were aware of the graffiti but he would not let them see it.

"They don't understand it," the father of two boys, aged 11 and 16, and a daughter, 13, was quoted as saying.

"They were born here (in the US) and they go to school here in Wayne. They learn what everybody else does. They don't feel any different from the next kid."

He said he and his wife, hailing from Mumbai in India, drive straight into their garage and enter their home from there.

According to the report, a neighbour saw two individuals, described only as dark-haired teenagers or men in their early 20s, in the house's backyard Saturday. When she saw the graffiti, she called her husband who urged her to call police.

This is not the first time that the family has been made targets of hate crime since they moved into this home in November last year. Early in January this year, they received a series of hate mails and found threats painted on their garage doors.

Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana, who expressed disgust at the incident, said: "Any action like this is not tolerated whatsoever, and I'm appalled that any individual and any family would be subjected to this kind of treatment.

"We are all neighbours no matter what religious or ethnic background. We expect people to be understanding and supportive of that position."

Jyoti Gandhi, a former president of Arya Samaj in New Jersey, has expressed shock at the incident. She, however, added that many Hindu families prefer to keep quiet when they face something like this.

In the past, there have been a number of reports of hate crimes against Indian Americans, who comprise less than one percent of the US' population of around 300 million. Post 9/11, Sikhs were targeted and one of them was killed in Phoenix, Arizona, on the mistaken assumption that he was an Arab.

In the 1980s, New Jersey witnessed a series of attacks on Indian Americans by a group calling itself Dot Busters.

The Indian American community is among the most educated and affluent among all communities in the US. Last year, the US Congress had passed a resolution recognising contributions made by Indian Americans to the country.