Around $10k in damages to Middletown soccer field after vandalism, town says

MIDDLETOWN — A soccer field is out of commission for the season after it was vandalized, resulting in around $10,000 in damages, authorities said.

On Wednesday morning, a member of the public called the town to let them know the Lincroft Acres Soccer field had been damaged, said Tony Mercantante, Middletown Township administrator.

When they went to check it out, they could tell a car had driven donuts on the field, Mercantante said.

But this isn't the first time this has happened at the park or at other parks in the area, Mercantante said.

"I guess somebody feels like that's fun," he said. "But it's now made the field unusable."

Mercantante said this creates a big impact because there's so much demand for soccer fields. This was also one of their lighted fields, which puts it in even higher demand.

Now, Mercantante said it's out of circulation for the rest of the season, probably until the spring when they can get it in safe playing condition again.

"It's not going to happen overnight," he said.

The town will have to find other fields to squeeze the teams into at other locations that are already booked up for the season, Mercantante said. Sometimes, they rest a field to get it healthy and in good playing condition again, but to have one knocked out of commission unexpectedly has a big impact on the programming.

"It's just really unfair...it's really disheartening," he said. "They don't think about the consequences."

Even if the person responsible is caught, they will only pay a fine, not full restitution, Mercantante said. Taxpayers will end up paying for the repairs.

Right now, the town is estimating about $10,000 in repair costs between staff time, necessary equipment and costs to reestablish the grass, according to Mercantante. They've already put some fresh material in and seeded it, but it's going to take a lot of maintenance and reseeding down the line, he said.

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Around $10k in damages to Middletown soccer field after vandalism, town says