KISKI TOWNSHIP, Pa. — About 200 headstones in the Riverview Cemetery were defaced with spray paint sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.
And now the mayor of nearby Apollo is saying other acts of vandalism in the area could be connected to the cemetery incident.
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Mayor Jeff Held said he is offering the full cooperation and resources of Apollo’s six-member police department, and he hopes to partner with Kiski police to “find the perpetrators of this horrible crime and bring them to justice.”
“In recent weeks, there have been reports of similar acts of destruction throughout the area,” Held said. “Due to similarities in the graffiti markings that have been found defacing buildings, I feel that they may all be the work of the same person or persons.”
While Kiski Township police are busy tracking down suspects, the cemetery’s manager said he is worried about how to restore the damaged headstones.
"This is the worst thing that's ever happened here," manager Adam Shupe said.
Shupe said he believes one or two people walked through the cemetery spraying red paint as they went.
None of the vandalism included vulgar or racist statements, but Shupe said he still can’t comprehend why someone would do this.
“I don’t understand them,” he said about the vandals.
The good news is, experts are certain they will be able to remove all of the spray paint.
The manager added the cemetery’s board of directors planned to meet Monday evening to discuss the situation and to begin the process of restoring the headstones.
The cemetery has been in existence since 1908 and many of the defaced markers on are on graves that are a century old.