Police: SOMS Students Destroy 'Galaxy' Dome?

SOMS science teacher Diane Grant told police that three South Orange Middle School students caused serious damage to an expensive model of the galaxy when they vandalized it after it had been used for a demonstration at SOMS.

Kevin Conod, the manager of the Newark planetarium, brought the "galaxy dome" to the middle school on May 22 for a demonstration. The dome is inflated using a blower and a computer projects images of the galaxy on the interior of the dome, which students can observe by walking inside. 

Grant told officers that after Conod had made a presentation to a school assembly, the device was left unattended. According to police reports, around 11:40 a.m., three sixth graders entered the room with the dome and began throwing chairs, musical stands and their own bodies onto the dome, causing rips to nine separate areas of the device, which is valued at nearly $13,000.

 The incident was captured on the school's security video system, police reported.

AUTO THEFTS
This past weekend, six thefts from automobiles were reported to police in South Orange. Three cars were broken into, two at a parking lot on 70 North Ridgewood Rd. Two GPS units and an 80-gig iPod were taken. The other three vehicles were unlocked at the time of the burglary, according to police reports. Among the stolen items were a $900 gold bracelet and a radar detector valued at $100.

HOME BURGLARY
A South Orange residence was broken into on June 3, according to police reports. The homeowner told officers that a man forced a door in the front vestibule of the home and was also seen entering through an unlocked, rear door to the building. Shortly afterward, police arrested Derrick A. Comer, 41, of Newark, and charged him with the burglary.

SHOPLIFTING
Jones Rahmad, 20, an Orange resident, was arrested on May 30 and charged with repeatedly shoplifting the Pathmark store at 407 Valley St. A Pathmark security employee related that he had seen Rahmad stealing food items from the store through the surveillance system since May 16. The total cost of items lost was $900, the employee said. Rahmad agreed to fill out a voluntary statement on his actions and admitted to not scanning the items before taking them from the store.

ATTEMPTED AUTO BREAK-IN
On May 29 at around 10:27 p.m., South Orange police received a 911 call reporting that five black males were attempting to gain entry to a vehicle parked in municipal parking lot #3. Police arrested 5 juvenile suspects and found a claw hammer under a van near the suspects. One of the youths told police he was carrying the hammer for protection after being assaulted on a basketball court on May 27.