Yonkers residents express frustration after public park vandalized amid renovations
YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- Frustration is at a high in Yonkers after a public park in the middle of a big renovation was vandalized by trespassers on dangerous and illegal ATVs.
To some, a public park in Yonkers might just look like an old, neglected field, but to families in this community, it's a sanctuary and a safe space for little leaguers. Not for trespassers who police say tore the field up with their dirt bikes.
"They took it away from the kids to redo it and now they're letting ugly people destroy it on the kids again. Not good," Yonkers resident Cathy Fiermonte said.
Fiermonte can't remember Redmond Park on Cook Avenue ever being this empty.
It's been out of commission since 2021. A ghost town. But for good reason. The city of Yonkers allocated millions of dollars for renovations to make the field brand new.
But after Yonkers police say dirt bikes and ATV's ran amuck Monday night, the kids may have to wait even longer.
"It's kind of sad because this wasn't the only field that was hit in Yonkers," Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said. "And these are fields our local kids use and when you tear a field up like that you make it nearly impossible for that field to be used."
One look at the field and you might think no one cares about it, but that's quite the opposite actually.
Officials focused on raising the ground to improve drainage and they're waiting on the grass to grow in for the new field to be ready to play on. But damage of this magnitude is a big setback.
"Small crimes end up being bigger crimes, so this is why we're aggressive with the paper plates and illegal plates," Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said.
Yonkers Police say the perpetrators are being pursued for felony criminal mischief.
"I grew up in Yonkers. I grew up playing baseball on that field as a kid, so this hits home so we're going to make sure we get to the bottom of this," Sapienza said.
Residents say police need to put a stop to the lawlessness.
"If I go through red lights what happens to me? They don't have helmets. What's going on between the scooters and those bikes. It's ridiculous," Fiermonte said.
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