Vandalism leaves Bartram's Garden trail in the dark

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Targeted vandalism has left a popular section of Bartram's Garden along the Schuylkill River Trail without lighting.

Bartram's Garden, a 50-acre public park and national historic landmark known as the oldest surviving botanical garden in the country, is working to reverse extensive damage caused by repeated vandalism stretching back to the fall.

"Unfortunately, recently we've had some targeted vandalism all along the Bartram's Mile section along the Schuylkill River trail," said Caroline Winschel, director of development & communications at Bartram's Garden.

According to Philadelphia police, officers first responded to damage reported on Oct. 13. Police say about 250 feet of six-gauge copper wire was stripped from light poles. The vandalism continued through the winter and escalated, with most of the damage occurring last month.

"Someone has pried this open pretty violently. I can see the metal is all warped and twisted, the wires have been stripped," Winschel said while pointing out the damage.

Nearly 100 light fixtures along the trail are no longer working, leaving a roughly 1-mile stretch completely dark after sunset.

The park remains open to visitors until 9 p.m.

"They're all off. They were all individually stripped," Winschel said.

The lights along the trail are owned by the city's Parks and Recreation Department, which is assessing the scope of the damage to determine the most effective and sustainable solution.

"We wanted to let folks know about the safety concerns of not having lights on the trail because it's so beautiful out, we want people to be out, but we want people to be out safely," she said.

Warm April weather brought visitors to the park, many of whom said they were saddened to learn about the vandalism.

"When there's a nice hidden gem in the city like this, it's sad so many people use the space, and one person can ruin the beauty for it. Hopefully, everything gets fixed soon," said Nick Adams of Francisville.

Despite the damage, Winschel said they are collectively working with Parks and Rec and the police to address the issue safely.

"It is a neighborhood park. The way green spaces survive and thrive is because people care about them, people love them," she said.