Twenty-nine headstones have either been damaged over overturned at All Souls Cemetery in Pleasantville, police reported.
investigators are at the scene processing damaged headstones that were reported by a resident visiting a family plot.
The Marble Avenue cemetery is associated with Pleasantville's .
"They went to the church and said there were headstones turned over and broken," said Chief of Police Richard Love.
According to Parish Coordinator Eileen Bruehl, the parishioner was at the cemetery Wednesday afternoon when he discovered the damage.
He reported the damage to the church and "our cemetery manager went down to look at it," she explained.
The apparent crime was then reported to the Pleasantville Police Department at 9:30 a.m.
"Officers responded and found a small area in the back of the cemetery where it appears youths were hanging out and drinking alcohol," Love reported. "There were alcohol cans, cigarette butts and cigarette packages lying around."
The Chief said the headstones that were disturbed appear to be random and are spread out in the back area of the cemetery. He does not recall any similar incidents in the recent past and certainly "nothing of this magnitude."
With the 29 stones damaged, "It's definitely felony criminal mischief and cemetery degradation," Love said. "I can't believe kids would do these things. This crime is unspeakable."
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