Back behind the towering corn is a message that can only be seen from the air.

It is one of the most infamous symbols of hate -- a swastika -- cut into acres of cornfields in Washington Township, Mercer County.

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A New Jersey State Police helicopter on a routine maintenance mission made the discovery Friday.

The swastika was located off of Hankins Road, near where similar swastikas were found in July 1998 and June 1999.

No arrests were made in the previous cases.

Investigators found that the most recent swastika appeared to have been hand-cut and covered an area of several acres.

"This should be in the past, and we should have learned from our mistakes, and to bring up something that brings back such awful memories, I think, is disgusting," said Joe Pica, whose property is one of many that border the fields.

Monday, neighbors said they hope it was kids who didn't know any better.

"If it's kids and they get caught, I hope that they are made to sit down for three or four days and research the history of the meaning of that symbol. Maybe they'll learn something from it," Pica said.

Neighbor Anthony Carin was stunned that someone would cause this entire furor carving a massive symbol that's only visible from the air.

"There's no point in making something that size in a place that's not even seen," he said.

The case is being investigated by the Washington Township Police Department, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, and the New Jersey State Division of Criminal Justice.

Anyone with information should call Washington Township police at 609-259-3900.