Vandals Destroy Newly Planted Trees In Nassau County

TOWN OF OYSTER BAY (CBSNewYork) -- Tree vandals struck a Long Island town.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, quaint Sea Cliff on Nassau County's gold coast has a mystery on its hands. Residents raised money to plant new trees, only to learn their hard work had been destroyed.

"It's an attack on the village for no good reason," Sea Cliff Village Administrator Bruce Kennedy said.

The scene of the crime is the foot of the bluffs – the local beach overlooking Hempstead Harbor and Long Island Sound.

Surveillance video shows a man and woman destroying hundreds of dollars in newly planed trees.

"They thought it would be funny to go and snap them in half, and destroy them, and rip them out of the ground and throw them all out," said Kennedy. "We planted saplings all along the entrance to the beach so that these trees can grow and create shade for the children."

Sea Cliff has an affinity for trees, McLogan reported. Business and homeowners can think of no enemies or threats.

"All our young people here are always so giving. This really shocks me," Peggy Como, of the Sea Cliff Municipal Concerns Committee, said.

"Everybody kind of respects the village, so I'm kind of surprised this happened. And I hope they get them," said local business owner Terry Sciubba.

Nassau County police have a photo of a heavyset woman and a dark four-door sedan fleeing the beach.

"It's secluded, and you would have to be a little bit familiar with that location to actually go there at 1:30 in the morning," Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun said. "Right now, we believe it's vandalism. These people obviously didn't care, they're misguided."

Sea Cliff officials are eager for arrests and plan to pursue the criminal mischief charges to the fullest extent of the law.