June 02, 2017
Lyndhurst Township/YouTube
Police say what was likely a juvenile prank to toss bubble bath into a Lyndhurst Township park fountain cost $3,500 to clean up.
Police are searching for anyone responsible for turning a New Jersey park's fountain into an overflowing bubble bath..
Authorities told NorthJersey.com that the detergent had been dumped into the large fountain that sits at the center of Town Hall Park in Lyndhurst Township on Monday.
After receiving a call shortly after 2 p.m. Monday – hours after the township's Memorial Day parade ended at the park – police arrived to find the fountain foaming out of its 12,000-gallon pool, the news website reported.
Police believe the culprits either used industrial strength soap or a large amount of soap to create the thick suds that poured out of the fountain.
Lyndhurst Township officials angry after vandals turn fountain into bubble bath https://t.co/gDKiGYOoz7 pic.twitter.com/v1TNvuQTVV
— News12NJ (@News12NJ) June 2, 2017
Bubble vandalism at Lyndhurst town fountain. Pic courtesy Joyce DiMaggio; took 2 days and $3500 to clean @news12nj pic.twitter.com/EZffEi0Wlp
— Karen Lee (@KarenLeeNews) June 2, 2017
Authorities are reviewing video footage from the day, Lyndhurst Police Capt. John Valente said.
Although the incident was likely a juvenile prank by kids who thought it was funny, cleaning and repairing the fountain was no joke. It cost more than $3,500, Valente said.
And yes, they are taking it seriously, he said, as are the irritated township officials and employees who had to clean it up.
"It's a pain in the [expletive]," Richard Gress, the township's superintendent for its Public Works and Park and Recreation departments, told NorthJersey.com "I am putting my foot down."
Anyone with information can call a township police tipline at (201)804-9346.
Read more coverage from NorthJersey.com here.
