Unknown Vandals Tip Tombstones
Police increased patrols near local cemeteries after ghoulish vandals knocked over tombstones at the Cemetery of the Evergreens last weekend, authorities reported.
Law enforcement sources said the vandalism occurred sometime between 6:30 p.m. last Friday, Oct. 17, and 10:30 a.m. the following morning. According to Paul Grassi, the cemetery’s president, the damage occurred near the Clover Place gate off Cypress Avenue.
Approximately 20 headstones were overturned by unidentified trespassers; police did not indicate the number of vandals involved, nor provide any specific descriptions.
It was unclear how the perpetrators entered the cemetery after hours, but Grassi suspected the culprits climbed over a gate.
Cemetery officials discovered the damages on Saturday morning and contacted the 104th Precinct.
Grassi told the Times Newsweekly the damages were limited, as the stones were knocked off of their concrete bases. Cemetery workers were busy in recent days resetting the monuments.
In response to the vandalism, Capt. Christopher Manson, the precinct’s commander, directed 24-hour patrols at all cemeteries within the precinct’s confines until further notice, authorities said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the vandalism that could prove helpful is asked to call the 104th Precinct Detective Squad at 1-718-386-2735; all calls will be kept confidential.
