By Hector Flores
The message was heard loud and clear by Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg, a Democrat of Merrick, who hosted an impromptu meeting at his Bellmore office last week. Among those attending the meeting were police officers and detectives from the Seventh Precinct and a representative of the Town of Hempstead.
Scott Sachs, who lives on Newbridge Road, said that on April 23, sometime after 9 a.m., two of his cars -- a minivan that was parked on the street and his 2003 Pathfinder, which was parked in the garage -- were found with multiple punctures in the tires. "They also broke my side mirrors and shoved dirt into the gas tanks," Sachs said. "I had to drop the fuel tank off the minivan and have my insurance company look at it."
According to Sachs, all the cars parked on Newbridge Road, from Dock Road to Newbridge Road Park, had their tires punctured and gas tanks filled with dirt.
Sgt. Inspector Arthur Thompson of the Seventh Precinct said there were 26 reports of property damage. The vandals also broke into the ice rink and damaged a soda vending machine in the lobby. Police believe that the vandals accessed the park through a broken fence, which the Town of Hempstead has now repaired.
"No one in the neighborhood heard anything on Newbridge Road, and there were no calls made of people drinking in the park," Thompson added.
Seventh Precinct detectives reported finding a Phillips-head screwdriver, but could not salvage any fingerprints. Detectives did find fingerprints on soda cans that were found in a bag, but Thompson pointed out that if the prints belonged to a teenager without an arrest record, they would be difficult to identify. He said he hoped police would have better leads once spring break is over and kids return to school.
"We believe that kids were involved in this case," Thompson said. "Unfortunately, school was closed this week, but once school starts again, we will begin to start getting leads, because kids talk."
Thompson explained that although young adults are suspected of committing the crime, the ages and number of vandals involved are yet to be determined. "We can't speculate at this time," he said. "But we believe that there were at least two kids, because they were carrying a heavy bag of sodas."
Police have also spoken to the local fire department to see if there were any videotapes available that could aid in the investigation.
Pat Engle, a Newbridge Road resident whose car had three tires slashed, was not surprised by the vandalism, because park gates are not always locked, and the ice arena stays open after hours. "There should be someone at the park inspecting the area after hours," he said.
Engle added that the park has internal gates that keep kids in front of the park, near local homes, and that he would prefer it if kids stayed in the park.
Tom McKevitt, a Town of Hempstead representative, explained that the internal gates keep intruders from getting too deep into the park. "The rink is open till 2 a.m.," he said. "When the park is closed, we have a public-safety officer patrol the park to make sure that the park is empty before it's locked."
Mike Valentino, another local resident, said that Newbridge Road Park is the only park that is open that late, and he wanted to know why. "The Merrick Park and the Wantagh Park don't operate after 2 a.m.," he said. "And in Wantagh you need a private pass to get into the park. I have sent three letters to the town regarding this, and they have yet to do something."
McKevitt explained that during the winter, the park stays open late because hockey leagues use it. It closes earlier during the summer.
Valentino said he was concerned not about the people who use the facility, but about the people who stay in the park until 3 a.m.
Denenberg said that he would continue to hold meetings addressing the concerns of Newbridge Road residents and update people about the ongoing police investigation. Anyone interested in attending the next meeting can contact Denenberg's office at (516) 409-6623 or 571-6219.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crimes to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
