Paterson soccer field shut down after being vandalized
A popular soccer field in Paterson has been shut down after being vandalized right before the new seasons for youth leagues.
A popular soccer field in Paterson was shut down Saturday after being vandalized right before the new seasons for youth leagues.
There’s a large burn at the midfield line of the field at Pennington Park, which is now forcing the school, youth and adult leagues that play there to relocate.
“Honestly, my eyes got teary,” said recreation supervisor Alfredo Serrano. “This is my second house. This is home for us. This is a special field for me and my boys. We have more than 300 kids here every week.”
Mayor Andre Sayegh said the fire department responded early Saturday morning, between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
“It is our number one soccer field, and now it’s destroyed,” Sayegh said.
“My kids never played on this,” Serrano said. “We played on dirt. We had two goals that I remember holding up with two bricks. People come here, and they can’t believe what we have here.”
The field is now locked with a chain. Officials don’t know how long it will take to replace the affected portion of the turf.
A motive behind the vandalism was unclear as of Saturday night.
Sayegh hopes authorities apprehend the person or persons responsible for the damages.
“We’re going to make sure that we bring them to justice,” Sayegh. “At the very least, restitution. They’re going to pay for this.”
Serrano also hopes for a quick solution.
“Cut the patch, patch it up, let’s play soccer,” he added.
