Continued Vandalism At Middletown Athletic Association Property Taking Toll

The vandalism at the Middletown Athletic Association (MAA) property has escalated to the point where it is no longer tolerable for  the people who play there or the people who maintain it, according to the president of the organization.

MAA President Megan Fiedler grew up using the fields. Now her kids, and a number of other residents, are fighting to continue using the fields along Trenton Road in Middletown’s Levittown section for softball, baseball, soccer and field hockey after a vandalism spree.

The vandalism started out minor this summer but began escalating early last month. Every two to three weeks has led to a more serious act of vandalism being discovered.

“It’s a shame. We are a nonprofit working for the local kids, and these kids are ruining it for them,” said Fiedler.

After the first defacement, the association installed cameras in hopes of catching the perpetrators if the vandalism continued. Sure enough, the vandals struck again.

The vandalism includes smashed beer bottles and broken locks. In addition, the vandalism also includes more offensive acts, such as racial slurs spray painted onto the dugouts and objects from the tool shed being set on fire.

On the most recent occasion, flames from an explosion danced just feet away from a storage shed.

“It’s amazing that no one who lives in Twin Oaks saw them,” Fiedler said.

Police have been called to the scene where they have swabbed beer bottles for prints. They are also upping patrols in the area and coming through at night to check on the area and make sure no one is vandalizing the park.

Despite this and getting photos of  the suspects, no one has been caught the vandals.

Through hard work and dedication, the association that serves hundreds of local kids hasn’t had to cancel or postpone any events.

On the first occasion vandalism was discovered, volunteers rushed to repaint the dugouts before 5 year olds arriving for their soccer matches could see the slurs placed by the vandals.

“We are just dealing with it by getting there [the fields] early to fix things before the games are supposed to start,” Fiedler said.

There are no field lights in the park at the moment, but the MAA is raising money to get motion triggered lights installed, Fiedler said.

The association president acknowledged that the police can only do so much and asks that people in the surrounding neighborhoods and those who drive by at night to report any suspicious activity to police.