Video Captures Vandalism Of World War II Memorial In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A crime against World War II heroes in Queens has been captured on video.
As CBS 2's Alice Gainer reported, two men were recorded vandalizing a war memorial on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven.
A wreath adorned with small American flags is placed against the monument every Memorial Day -- and usually it stays put for the year without having to be secured.
Surveillance video, however, shows two men appearing to change by a bench just after 3 a.m. Sunday. One stumbles and falls, and then the footage gets a bit blurry.
One man then grabs the wreath and holds it over his head as he rounds the corner, the video shows. He then says something to a man walking by before tossing the wreath like a discus into the street.
The two small flags then fall onto a parked car. The men walk away.
"I was very, very upset because I felt that it was such a disgrace," said Maria Thompson, executive director of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp.
The memorial only costs about $50, but it's not about the money, Thompson said.
"It's the feeling behind it and the fact that it's there for a purpose," she said.
Residents have some ideas for punishing the culprits.
"Maybe they should go around putting flags in the cemeteries for the fallen soldiers," Thompson said.
"It's really disgusting, and anybody who does that or does something to a flag should get out of the country," added Dolores Sassano, of Woodhaven.
Residents said they will replace the wreath.
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