As part of the referendum construction, Verona’s public schools have been upgrading all school playgrounds. Last night, a group of young vandals did $5,000 in damage to a playground that hadn’t even been played on yet.
The Verona Police Department was called to F.N. Brown school just after 9 p.m. by a security guard hired by the construction company to prevent the newly poured rubberized surface from being damaged while it dried. The new playground had been clearly marked by caution tape. The guard had asked the juveniles to stay off the surface.
The juveniles, who were on bicycles, surrounded the guard and taunted him, and forced him to retreat to his car. When the police arrived, one officer observed several juveniles leaving through the woods behind the school field.
“We continue to take great strides as a community to improve spaces for learning and play to enhance experiences for our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Rui Dionisio. “We are disheartened to learn of the recent vandalism and behavior of a few individuals despite all of our efforts to secure and safeguard the area. The district is conducting an investigation into this matter and is currently reviewing surveillance footage. We will continue to work closely with the Verona Police Department to identify and hold accountable the people responsible for this damage to our new playground. I encourage anyone in the community with knowledge of these individuals to report the incident to the Verona Police.”
If you have information that can help the police investigate this crime, please call the main number for the Verona Police Department, 973-239-5000 and ask for Detective Conroy. The young people involved will likely have bright green rubber attached to the soles of their sneakers.
The damage done to the playground surface wasn’t the only trouble the incident caused. “Unfortunately, while patrols were concentrating on F.N. Brown and the surrounding area, the Wayland section had numerous vehicle burglaries,” said Chief Christopher Kiernan.
