Paterson, N.J. park's soccer field purposely set on fire, police say

PATERSON, N.J. -- Police are investigating after vandals set a Paterson soccer field on fire over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The field was left unusable and is now closed until repairs can be made.

Police discovered the small fire on the turf field inside Pennington Park early Saturday morning. Investigators said they believe someone set the blaze intentionally.

Field had been recently replaced following flood damage

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said the turf field, which cost roughly $500,000, was just replaced two years ago, after flooding damaged the old one. He said it will take at least two weeks to make the repairs.

"And we raised the money. We worked with FEMA, brought it back, and now it hurts my heart to see what happened because who are the real losers in all of this? The youth," Sayegh said.

Kennedy High School's varsity soccer squads use the field for home games and their first home games were set for this weekend.

"And now, because of the reckless act of some cowardly individuals, they're going to play on the road, and everybody is inconvenienced by it," Sayegh said.

"I was mad. I was angry"

The park is a popular spot for local residents to stay active.

"I come here to exercise and bring my kids to play," Nicky Minaya said.

Minaya said she was disappointed to learn about the fire.

"I was mad. I was angry, because, you know, a lot of kids come here," Minaya said. "It is used for sports to keep kids out of the streets, so I feel like it's bad for people to just come and vandalize a place where there's a lot of kids and a lot of activities."

CBS News New York on Wednesday spotted city crews working on reinforcing a gate where the vandals may have entered the field.

Police arrested a man for another arson at Eastside Park in Paterson early Monday morning, but said the two crimes are not connected.