BY NANCY HILER
It was the latest in a string of vandalism incidents in the North Bellmore Elementary School District in recent months.
The incident followed the arrest of two 13-year-olds charged with arson last week for setting fire to a pile of leaves behind Newbridge Road Elementary School on the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 25. The teens were two of 15 who had gathered at the school and lit a fire from dry leaves in the bottom of a stairwell to keep warm, police said at the time. Damage was estimated at $375.
Before the Newbridge Road School incident, another small fire set to woodchips at the playground at Park Avenue School in North Merrick, also part of the North Bellmore School District, took place in early November. More than a dozen teenagers were caught and let off with warnings, according to community members and a district custodian. In August, graffiti was discovered on playground equipment at Saw Mill Road School in the district.
In the most recent incident, which happened at 2:43 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, two white males, both about 15 years old and dressed all in black, set leaves and a bench on fire at the school's ball field, at 2144 Waltoffer Ave. in North Bellmore. When approached by a passerby, the two ran away. When the Bellmore Fire Department responded to extinguish the fire, volunteers discovered that the letters "KKK" and a swastika were dug in the dirt at the field, detectives said. Police are investigating.
Detectives ask anyone who can provide additional information about these crimes to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
