Linden Playground Fire Leads To Charges Against 2 Boys (Video)

Two boys have been charged after a New Jersey playground was set on fire this weekend. The boys, ages 11 and 13, will be charged with arson and criminal mischief, Linden Mayor Derek Armstead told News12.

Authorities are calling a fire that destroyed a playground in New Jersey “suspicious." They did not identify the boys who were charged.

The boys were released released to their parents, according to NBC4 New York. They were brought in for questioning after video provided by neighbors apparently showed the two walk into Sgt. Wales Park playground shortly before flames broke out.

Neighbors say the park is normally filled with kids, and some of those who live nearby, including Ned Sumrain's children, sat in horror as they watched it burn Sunday, according to the report.

“They were raised here,” Sumrain, whose family lives across the street from the park, told News4. "They grew up in this park and they actually saw it get burned down in front of their eyes.”

Mayor Derek Armstead told News3 Sunday's blaze marks the fourth playground fire the city has had in recent years.

The fire started around 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Wales Park on West Curtis Street in Linden, according to News12.

Firefighters put out the flames within minutes, but the playground was a total loss, according to the report.

The cost of the damage was estimated at nearly $80,000.

No additional details were immediately available. We'll have more information when it becomes available.

YouTube video/photo CBS2