Police seeking South High vandals

It was a choatic and confusing Friday morning for Nassau County Police who responded to an alarm at Valley Stream South High School after vandals entered the building and sprayed graffiti on several floors between 2 and 3 a.m., authorities said.

According to detectives, several unknown individuals broke in through a second floor window at the Jedwood Place building, then proceeded to use multiple cans of color spray paint to deface three levels of a stairway. Upon arriving at the scene, police and school personnel found no perpetrators. Though police said the graffiti was isolated to the center of the stairway on the north side of the building, damages are estimated at $20,000. Fire extinguishers also went off, releasing water into the school’s interior.

“This is a really serious offense,” Nassau County Police Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone said. “Damages by the fire extinguishers were not extensive, but the graffiti spray on the stairwells was extensive.”

Even though nothing was stolen, many negative and derogatory comments about teachers and staff were painted on the stairwell. A swastika was sprayed, but police do not believe the vandalism was a bias crime. But they are classifying the destructive act as criminal mischief and burglary, the latter of which can carry felony charges.

Right now, police are looking at students, former students and residents based on the cosmetic damage that was incurred. “Based on the act, it sounds like kids would do this,” Repalone said. “Certainly, they knew by entering school in that way, it was unlikely to be seen by anyone walking around a hidden area of the school undetected, which they probably had knowledge.”

In addition, Repalone said that police are currently looking at video surveillance footage and forsenic evidence to identify perpetrators and pinpoint an exact time of the vandalism.

“We are confident and hopeful to get and identify suspects,” Repalone said. “This video should depict the individuals making their way toward the school. It will capture good images of the people responsible.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Bernstein said he hopes the suspects are caught. “I hope the perpetrators are identified quickly and punished with full accord of the law,” Bernstein said. “If the perpetrators are Valley Stream Central High School District students, they face strict disciplinary action.”

According to Bernstein, the district’s maintenance staff cleaned up the building this past weekend. “There was not a trace of anything left after the school was cleaned,” he said.

Though summer school was canceled on Friday due to the police investigation, classes resumed on Monday.

Police are conducting a full investigation and detectives request that anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS.