Graffiti arrests Teens nabbed spray-painting in city park

BRIDGETON - Police charged three teens with gang-related graffiti discovered at three locations in the city park Thursday afternoon.

The teens - two from the city and one from Vineland - were arrested at around 1:15 p.m. after a city employee reported he witnessed them defacing a concrete structure on the west side of Mayor Aitken Drive.

Bridgeton Police Ptl. Joe Crokus stopped a group of teens he spotted walking along the raceway, or earthen dam, that runs along Mayor Aitken Drive.

Police charged the three teens found to have silver spray-paint on their hands and clothing with criminal mischief.

The concrete structure that was allegedly vandalized by the teens once supported a railway trestle.

Police have blamed the three teens for similar gang-related graffiti found on the canoe house and the restrooms located next to the canoe house.

Crokus estimated the cost to remove the graffiti at $250.

The graffiti included phrases related to Hispanic street gang Sur 13, Crokus said.

The three teens - a 13-year-old Irving Avenue resident, a 14-year-old Pear Street, Vineland, resident and a 15-year-old North Pearl Street resident - were released to parents/guardians.

Graffiti has been a hot topic in the city in recent months.

City council last month rejected a measure that would have prohibited businesses from selling spray-paint to minors by a 4-1 vote.

Several businessowners claimed the ordinance would have unfairly impacted their business after it was introduced in August to include several other instruments that could be used to carry out vandalism.

Council voted down a scaled-back version that only included spray-paint on Oct. 20, with Councilman Nick Salvatore offering the lone vote in support of the measure, which was pushed by Mayor Jim Begley.