'Somebody Is Going To Get Hurt': Teens Break Fence At LI Apartments

BABYLON VILLAGE, NY — Residents of Babylon Village are on edge after a group of teens allegedly knocked planks out of a fence in a string of several acts of vandalism.

On Thursday at about 2:30 p.m., police responded to Police responded to Fairfield Harbor apartment complex, located at 99 Prospect St., after a 911 caller reported a group of teens knocking planks out of a fence.

Tom, the manager and chef at restaurant Mulberry Street, located at 30 E Main St told Patch said he witnessed the incident while on his lunch break. He preferred to not use his last name.

"I saw them running up into the fence, breaking the fence, and then they all got on their bicycles and then drove away," he said. "In the matter of a minute or two, they were gone."

One Fairfield resident told Patch they live on the other side of the fence, and have vandalized the area for at least three years. They have also witnessed the groups "constantly" knocking the fence down, and often "body slam" into it.

"It is very scary for the elderly tenants who live there," the resident said. "These kids are dangerous and cause havoc all over the village."

Tom also said that the group of teens often loiter around the restaurant and in the parking lot on their bikes.

"They are unruly, we ask them to leave, they won't budge," said Tom.

He also said the teens will place their bikes "wherever they want", including on sidewalks where customers walk.

Tom told Patch that they often station their bikes in "No Parking" zones, making it difficult for patrons to exit the parking lot. When the patron asks them to move the bikes, the teen harasses them, he said.

He also has witnessed the teens going on the roofs of the nearby buildings. Last year, he claimed at least 50 teens would be riding their bikes at one point in the parking lot.

"I've worked here about seven years, and I've never seen anything like it," said Tom.

The manager also told Patch that the Mulberry Street staff spoke with some of the teens' parents multiple times, asking to remove their child from the property.

"They're like, 'We will do no such thing',." Tom said. "I don't know, how their parents allow them to act like this. "

The restaurant has called Babylon Village Code Enforcement and Suffolk County Police multiple times, but because the teens are minors, their "hands are tied," he said.

Police told Patch they are aware of these groups and the first step is education.

Officers will attempt to identify teens involved and then go to their homes and speak to families.

"In most cases, parents are not aware their children are involved in these activities and are positively responsive to officers when they discuss the dangers and legal issues involved," Suffolk County Police Department said.

They also intend to work with MTA Police and Babylon Village Code Enforcement.

If teens are caught crowding streets/blocking traffic/creating hazards for motorists and/or pedestrians, Babylon Village Code Enforcement will respond and confiscate the bicycle.

The bicycle will only be returned to the owner after a $500 fine is paid to the village.

If police have already spoken with a teen's parents, but they continue to participate in these activities, their bicycle can also be confiscated and fine required for return, police said.

The Fairfield resident told Patch that hopefully these regulations will keep residents safe.

"Somebody is going to get hurt," they said. "Either a resident or one of these kids if they cross paths with the wrong person."

Patch reached out to Fairfield Harbor at Babylon Village and to the Village of Babylon for comment.