Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Police 'Aggressively' Seeking Whoever Defaced Oak Street School Playground

Public asked to call school resource officer with any information regarding vandalism.

said they are looking for those responsible for painting graffiti over the course of several weekends that damaged the lower playground equipment at .

Township Police Officer Hank Warner, who also is school resource officer, said on Monday that police are "aggressively" seeking whoever might be responsible for the graffiti.

Oak Street School Principal Jane Costa said that she believed the graffiti discovered Dec. 5 on the playground equipment was cleaned up immediately. "Our custodians have a special cleaner that removes graffiti from most surfaces.  There has been no new graffiti since the original episode, she said.

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"Obviously, this is very upsetting to everyone at [Oak Street School] when individuals choose to deface school property, especially an elementary school," the principal said. "Some of it was vulgar. We immediately notified the police and they fully investigated the situation," she said.

The school's vice principal, Scott Graber, had reported to police that graffiti had been discovered on Monday mornings for several weeks at the lower playground on school property on West Oak Street.

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Police said they had been told by the school administrator that the recent graffiti discovered, on Monday, Dec. 5, was the most extensive and contained a considerable amount of vulgarity. Graber reportedly told police that the graffiti had not been on the playground equipment on Friday, Dec. 2.

Graber also said there have not been any new reports of graffiti since that first weekend in December.

Police are asking the public to call Bernards Township police at 908-766-1122 is they see any similar activitity taking place at the Oak Street School.

In addition, police are asking anyone who may have information indicating who may be responsible for the graffiti is asked to call School Resource Officer Hank Werner, whose school office number is 908-204-2610, ext. 140.


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