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No injuries were reported.

The vehicles were discovered burning about 3 a.m. in the 7500 block of Westmoreland Avenue, said Cpl. Jenny Schwartz of Clayton police. The block is off of North Hanley Road.

Schwartz confirmed that graffiti was left behind. She later acknowledged that it was antisemitic.

"It was an offensive message targeted toward one of our residents," she said.

Schwartz said Clayton has had nothing similar in recent memory.

But it's one of a few antisemitic incidents police have investigated in recent years in the St. Louis region.

In October 2023, vandals . The following year, prosecutors  with painting graffiti on a University City church and Asian restaurant on behalf of a white supremacist group.

Then, in March, staff at Affton High School arrived to find graffiti swastikas and the message “wite power� on the exterior of the building.

Schwartz said police on Tuesday called in arson investigators to probe the Clayton fires and also notified the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

Danny Cohn, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation, said in a statement, "This is more than vandalism; it is a hateful act of intimidation and the consequence of the dangerous rise in antisemitism."

Cohn said the federation's community security team is working with police to investigate and is providing support to the family targeted.

"When hateful words targeting Jews or Israel go unchecked, whether on social media or at public events, they embolden individuals to act," Cohn said. "What started as rhetoric is increasingly escalating into threats and violence against our Jewish community."

Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew said in a release, "Clayton has dedicated extensive resources and brought in regional law enforcement partners, as well as the FBI, in order to find the individual responsible for this repulsive act."

A source confirmed late Tuesday that the resident targeted by the arsonist has ties to the Israel Defense Forces, the national military of Israel, and the graffiti mentioned IDF.

Someone in the neighborhood saw the fire and called 911. When officers arrived, three vehicles were engulfed in flames. 

Police have surveillance footage of the arson and are asking residents to share any footage they have as well.

Schwartz said investigators had made no arrests but have a suspect. She said investigators don't know the suspect's name or gender. 

"We are working on that," Schwartz said.

Police blocked off the street with crime-scene tape for hours Tuesday. The cars were towed away, and a street sweeper was cleaning up the soot. 

By 10 a.m., the area was clean, and the street was reopened.

A woman at one house asked police if they would stay in front to protect them. They said yes.

A Clayton police SUV was parked on the street into late morning.

Katie Kull of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.