Little League team recovering after team equipment was stolen, destroyed
By Kerri Corrado, Sean Tallant
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MONROE TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (KYW) — A Gloucester County youth baseball team’s season was interrupted by vandals.
Early Friday morning, a Monroe Township Little League team discovered some of their equipment was destroyed — some of it stolen.
The Gloucester County Little League couldn’t believe the damage. Now they’re trying to clean up and make sure the players have everything they need after everything was damaged or stolen.
Surveillance camera footage showed two people who tried to break the lock box that held the key to the clubhouse early Friday morning.
They couldn’t get inside, but they did destroy other parts of the complex, and stole everything inside this shed that housed equipment for the Challenger League.
“The Challenger League is a free benefit that we offer to the physically and mentally disabled children in Monroe Township. It just gives them a chance to be out and doing something normal. Doing something that every other typical kid does every spring and fall,” said Heather Brown, lead manager of the Challenger League.
Brown coaches the team of players from ages four to 21 and her daughter, Sarah plays too. She said this equipment means everything to the players.
“I have kids that have favorite bats and I have kids that have favorite helmets, and I have favorite everything. And if you don’t keep the routine fairly similar, it will just throw them off for the whole game,” Brown said.
Some of the equipment was recovered hours later, like, these waterlogged gloves, the team’s favorite bat, and wet uniforms. They are still missing much more, but said they will try to salvage what they can.
“It’s unfortunate and it’s kinda sad really. I think more than anything I’m just angry that someone would do that, especially a volunteer organization, and then to steal from the Challenger kids is the most disheartening thing to me,” said Monroe Township Little League President Jimmy Magee.
But the vandalism didn’t stop at the shed. They tore down gutters and even hit the bathroom.
“Looks like they took a bat and came in destroyed the toilet. They destroyed the sink,” said Jessica Simpkins, who serves on the Monroe Township Little League Board.
Even though there is still a lot of clean-up to do, they’re planning to turn a negative into a positive, especially with help from the community.
“This will be the first time really these kids will have brand new equipment,” Brown said.
“It’s really incredible when something happens. These people pull together and make it work. So they will be fine, we will make it work,” Simpkins said.
The Little League said donations are pouring in and they hope get new equipment and have everything ready to go by Wednesday’s game.
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