The damaged swings and rubber surface were replaced on Monday after the fire on Saturday morning.
Photo by Iryna Shkurhan
Toddler swings at Queens Valley Playground near P.S. 164 in Kew Gardens Hills were set on fire early on Saturday, Nov. 11, in an alleged act of vandalism, according to authorities.
Images of the aftermath shared on X by @ViralNewsNYC showed the damage to six toddler swings that were burnt from the fire. The melted plastic also dripped down and damaged the rubber safety surface on the ground.
Queens NY
At public schools 164. The swing was bunt to a Krispy overnight .
This park is known to people on the community there as the shabbos park. The Jewish community takes their kids to play there during the Sabbath
This was sent in by a community member there . pic.twitter.com/rWMI9yflcf— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) November 12, 2023
“In an act of hateful vandalism, the toddler swings were deliberately set afire, resulting in significant damage to the equipment and surrounding rubberized safety surface,” Council Member James Gennaro said in a statement. “It is terrible to witness such disregard for our community spaces, especially those designed for the enjoyment of our youngest residents.”
While some speculated that the incident was a hate crime, given the recent rise in hate crimes and the demographics of the area, officials confirmed that the arson was not an act of hate.
While the park is known to the community as Shabbos Park, a place where Jewish community members take their kids to play during the Sabbath, officials suspect that it was carried out by an emotionally disturbed individual after obtaining security footage of the incident.
According to the FDNY, a call reporting a rubbish fire at the playground came in at 4:18 a.m. on Nov. 11. They were able to put out the fire in 26 minutes and no injuries were reported as a result of the blaze.
After hearing about the incident, Gennaro reached out to Queens Parks…
Read the full article here
