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Vandals torch equipment at NE Philly girls' softball athletic shed
A Northeast Philadelphia girls' softball league athletic shed was broken into, with vandals stealing equipment, breaking items and torching the quad used for field maintenance.
NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA - At the start of a new year, many feel hopeful and optimistic. But, New Year’s night, a Philly girls’ softball league suffered quite a blow to their program.
"They used that 4 by 4 to break in. They hammered the door locks," Jim Dagostino stated.
Dagostino, Director of Penn Academy Softball, in Northeast Philadelphia, says someone broke into their athletic shed Monday night, ransacked it, busting the glass on their beverage cooler, stealing equipment and torching the quad they use to maintain their fields.
"They did stuff paper towels in the gas tank and lit it on fire and we know that because there were paper towels lying down here and they posted pics on social media," Dagostino said.
Dagostino took screenshots and posted to Instagram photos showing the quad on fire. Those photos were taken down.
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"I’m furious," Dagostino said. "It’s going to cost us thousands of dollars."
A parent driving by just before 9 p.m. with his 10-year-old daughter, who plays in the league, saw the flames and called the fire department.
"One of the 10 Under teammates, she’s the one who saw the fire. Her seeing that on the field she plays, I can’t imagine how she felt," Penn Academy softball player, Lilly Garfield said.
16-year-old Garfield has been playing in the all-girls softball league since she was eight. Her younger sister plays, too. She and her dad rushed over when they heard the news. "It hurts, disappointing. Just don’t know why they’d do that. What did they get out of it?"
Parent April Bremme said, "The kids help with the field. They help keep things clean and neat and it’s like a slap in their face."
At least two young people were spotted leaving the scene. The fire department’s arson unit is heading the investigation.
"They collected evidence," Dagostino said. "Fortunately, kids threw balls on the field, so they collected some of the balls, looking for DNA and fingerprints and the gas cap. They did not burn the gas cap."
This is the third time Penn Academy Softball has had its athletic shed broken into, though the incident is the worst. They started a GoFundMe to help raise money to replace the equipment and potentially build a more secure storage facility.