Jewish cemetery vandalized, suspects sought

MINQUADALE, Del. (WPVI) -- The search is on in New Castle County, Delaware, for vandals who caused a lot of damage at a Jewish cemetery there.

The Machzikey Hadas Cemetery is small, but very important to loved ones.

Vandals went on a rampage there, turning over and damaging almost 20 headstones and other sacred artifacts here. It left neighbors shaking their heads in disgust.

"Probably don't have a heart. They have disrespect," said Bruce Capron.

The damage was discovered by neighbors Sunday morning. 18 stones were pushed over. One was broken, along with smashed pots and other artifacts.

Steven Koss, the president of the synagogue that tends the graveyard, says it appears to be senseless teenage vandalism, not a hate crime.

"It had to be a number of them, the stones are really hard to push over. It's not like you can lean against them and they fall over. They don't go down by themselves and they don't go down easily," Koss said.

There is a lot of history in the graveyard. Some of the damaged stones have been here for more than a hundred years.

New Castle County police spent hours processing the scene Sunday, lifting fingerprints and searching for other evidence.

They're also hoping someone in the neighborhood may have video surveillance.

The graveyard is tucked behind a row of houses and not easily seen from the road.

Neighbors say young people are often back there hanging out.

89-year-old Roaslie Ableman was among those who came to check on their relatives headstones as the news spread.

"I think they're horrible. But we have a lot of horrible people, it's a shame. They ruin the world," she said.

She was relieved to find that her family was spared, as was Milt Wahl.

"My mother, my father and my grandmother," he said as he walked by the headstones.

Wahl was moved to tears when he found his family's markers were untouched.

"My son was concerned, I am too, but everything's all right," he said.

Police say whoever did this will pay a heavy price. The damage is well over $1,500, which makes this a felony.