Football Field Vandalized in Bethany
Ilana Gold and Thomas Kienzler
The field that hundreds of children depend on in Bethany was torn up by a truck on a joyride. The Parks and Recreation Department are at a loss as to how to pay for repairs.
State police in Bethany are looking for the vandals responsible for destroying the athletic fields at the Old Bethany Airport Fields on Amity Road.
Police said the culprits used a truck to tear up the turf.
Their dirty work was discovered around 7:30 a.m. and has hurt hundreds of children who play sports because football practice at the field just became more difficult and dangerous.
"I was worried people would get hurt," said player Steven Butler.
There was a good chance of that, considering some ruts on the fields were more than half a foot deep.
“I could break an ankle or something,” player Matt D’Onofrio said.
The ground was torn up after someone took a truck for a joyride on Wednesday night.
“I was pretty ashamed someone would have done this. I just could couldn't believe it,” D’Onofrio said.
The destruction here was tough for players, parents and coaches to digest.
“Why? Why would you do this? What’s the purpose of this?” Rich Photos, the president of Amity Pop Warner Football, asked.
The Parks and Recreation Department told NBC Connecticut that the damage would cost up to $5,000 to fix and insurance wouldn’t cover it.
The problem was, the town didn’t have the money to front the bill.
“I’m very angry, I’m very upset. It’s just not right,” Photos said.
Repairs could not start until the funds were there and hundreds of kids on youth football and lacrosse teams were left to scramble for a new place to practice and play games, and locations were limited.
“When someone does something like this, it ruins things for a lot of kids,” Photos explained.
That’s why police needed to find whoever made the mess and hold them accountable.
The town said, if an arrest was made, the culprits would have to pay for the damage.
If you have any information on this case, call State Police at 203-393-4200.
