Pokemon Go Players Possibly In Cemetery When Headstones Were Vandalized: Police

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Police are investigating whether individuals playing Pokemon Go had anything do to with a sea of vandalized headstones at Southampton cemeteries.

"We are looking into the connection to the Pokemon Go game. We are following leads that there were Pokemon Go players in the cemetery," said Southampton Police Lieutenant Susan Ralph.

After the vandalism spree that left more than 30 headstones defaced and toppled, the Guardian Angels, who recently commenced patrols in Southampton after a violent home invasion and a gang assault in Hampton Bays, also stepped up to help.

"As we have begun our new patrols of Hampton Bays and Southampton Village we have been asked by local residents to see if we can come up with leads about who vandalized and toppled the headstones in two Southampton cemeteries," Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa said. "Unfortunately, the cemetery provides easy access. There is no fence or security apparatus. And if this crime goes unsolved there will probably be others who will repeat it."

Sliwa said he thinks the vandalism could be related to "local youth who went on a mindless vandalizing spree or it can be related to the growing gang problem on the East End. In the past MS-13 has sometimes met in nearby cemeteries where they review their strategies and tactics."

Community comes together to help

But despite the vandalism, residents came together to right the wrong: After vandals knocked over and defaced the more than 30 headstones at two cemeteries in Southampton over Labor Day weekend, the community rallied to help restore the final resting places.

According to Dominick Abbate, funeral director at Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton, the headstones were vandalized at both Southampton Cemetery and Sacred Heart Cemetery.

"Some were really old. It was a really terrible thing, very traumatic. We had a funeral the day after it happened and we saw it firsthand," Abbate said.

Viewing the destruction, Abbate knew he had to do something to help.

To that end, he kicked off a GoFundMe campaign that exceeded its $1,000 goal.

Donations will help to defray costs of equipment used to upright the monuments, which are very heavy and weigh up to 400 lbs. or more, as well as to repair damage, Abbate said. Special equipment is needed to lift the stones that were knocked down, he said.

But despite the darkness of the act, Abbate said the response from the community has been uplifting and overwhelmingly positive. "It's been really, really great," he said. "Everyone has come together, which is nice."

Abbate thanked those who opened their hearts to help on the GoFundMe page:

"In only three days this campaign has incredibly surpassed our goal, but this was not only about financial assistance. As of today our page has been visited 1,007 times, shared on FaceBook 153 times with countless comments of support and encouragement," he wrote. "That is what this campaign has been about from the start.

"The outpouring of support and care from the community has been remarkable and we did this together, turning a tragic event into something positive. In speaking with both cemeteries, they express their gratitude for all the donations which will be allocated to reimburse equipment used and costs that remain. . . We thank Alan E. Fricke Memorial, O'Connell Funeral Home, the donors of this campaign and everyone in our community for their support and generosity."

Photos courtesy of Guardian Angels and Dominick Abbate.