UPDATE: Playground Vandalism Including Swastika, 'V-Shaped Cuts' From Separate Incidents

Police are investigating two separate acts of apparent vandalism at Community Park in Cedar Grove, including one earlier incident where a swastika was carved into a playground slide.

The latest incident, which Township Manager Thomas Tucci says happened over the weekend, followed Saturday's gut-wrenching last second defeat in Verona and Cedar Grove's Varsity Football season opener, in which Cedar Grove a recovered blocked field goal attempt into a game-winning touchdown.

Cedar Grove Police Chief Richard Vanderstreet said Tuesday morning that the department is investigating the incident, and that a large swastika carved into a slide was from an earlier incident of vandalism, and not related to this weekend's spree of destruction.

"It was an isolated incident as far as I know. Prior to today, I wasn't aware of its existence. A report has been filed, and [Recreation Director Ron Epp] informed me that this was old damage, and not linked to the structural damage over the weekend."

It was not immediately known how long the swastika was known about, or why it was not removed sooner. Calls to the recreation department were not immediately returned.

Tucci said the damage to the playground at Community Park, which the township uses for softball, baseball and soccer, included shaving cream, toilet paper and soap, but that the vandal or vandals also structurally damaged the slides, using an electric saws-all to carve "V-Shaped" notches into them, which will require some of the equipment to be replaced.

"We have a substantial amount of damage we're investigating. The Police Department has documented the damage," Tucci told the Township Council at Monday's public meeting.

At Community Park this morning, the tallest slide at the lower-level playground is wrapped with yellow police tape. Several notches are carved into the structure of several playground apparatus, but perhaps most noticeable is the large swastika cut into the center of one of the slides.

Tucci said the Verona Board of Education has been notified of the incident, but conceded they cannot accuse Verona because they lack solid evidence.

"We can't accuse them because we have no hard facts. But circumstantially it looks like it was related to the game. It is a strong rivalry."

Vanderstreet said previous incidents involving the Verona-Cedar Grove football rivalry have involved minor criminal mischief, but nothing on the level of this weekend's vandalism.

"Something of this nature would be uncommon. Relatively minor incidents in the past may have included shaving cream and toilet paper, but nothing involving the damage we see to this equipment."

Cedar Grove Police said in their weekly blotter report that the cost to repair the damage was unknown, and requested that any person having information on this incident is asked to contact detectives at 973-239-4100.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Check back with Patch for more details throughout the day.