Arrest Made In Connection To After-Hours Playland Vandalism Rampage

RYE, NY — They arrived by boat, and left a path of destruction behind them. Now, police say a suspect in a late night vandalism spree at a historic New York attraction has been arrested.

A 19-year-old New Jersey man was charged in connection to a burglary and vandalism spree that took plaec in September at the Playland amusement park in Rye.

Two other suspects, a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old, also from New Jersey, have now been identified by detectives from the General Investigations Unit. They are expected to surrender in the coming days, according to officials.

Anthony Conkling, 19, of Wykoff, New Jersey, surrendered to Westchester County Police Department detectives yesterday, and was booked on felony charges of burglary and criminal mischief. He was also charged with trespassing and petit larceny, both misdemeanors.

Conkling is accused of being one of three intruders who entered the Playland amusement park during the overnight hours of Sept. 23-24, and went on a spree of theft and vandalism.

The trio arrived on the Playland beach in a small boat shortly before midnight. Then, they climbed a fence to enter the amusement area. The intruders vandalized an electrical room, cutting or ripping out fiber-optic cables for phone and internet service, according to police. The trespassers stole 200 stuffed animals, which they hauled away in garbage bags, and then, police say, the trio attempted, and failed, to throw a photo booth off the boardwalk into the sea.

The damage caused to property at Playland is estimated at $57,000. The boat they used was apparently taken from, and returned undamaged to, a boat club in Connecticut.

Conkling was arraigned in Rye City Court yesterday and released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Nov. 25.

"The County Police would like to thank the public for its assistance in this investigation," officials said. "Multiple tips were received from the public as a result of social media shares and media coverage of this incident."