Thugs Burglarize, Ravage Summer Home; Cranberry Juice on Beds, Candles on Wall

WILDWOOD – A couple, who asked to remain anonymous, own a Cresse Avenue home. They stay there at least once a month during the off-season. When they arrived Jan. 9, they found their home had been vandalized. “They came into our house and partied and defaced the entire property,” said the woman. “There was unbelievable vandalism. I have such a feeling of violation. I don’t want anyone else to feel what I’m feeling.”
The perpetrators were able to get into the home by kicking in an air conditioner. Once inside, they didn’t steal much of worth. Though they did take a Wii gaming system, a radio and some Morey’s Piers cards, they left a flat screen television and other items that would be “conspicuous carrying down the street.” But the defacing that was done to the property was enough to almost “bring the insurance adjuster to tears,” she said.
“All of our clothing was bleached on the floor. They took every condiment out of the refrigerator and cabinets and squirted them all over the house. They doused all the bedding with cranberry juice. Anything they could find in the house, they used. They even took all my smoke detectors down, took birthday candles and melted the backs and then stuck them to the walls. Then they lit the candles. I have burn marks all over my walls.”
Any alcohol in the house was either consumed or poured out. “They wrote ‘My bad’ and ‘Sorry’ on the floor in ketchup and mustard. They didn’t technically break anything; but they defaced the entire property. They took barbecue sauce, stood in the middle of the living room, and squeezed it, spinning around in a circle and squirting it all over.”
Detective Sgt. Kenneth Gallagher of Wildwood Police Department said they are taking the crime seriously. “This criminal mischief is not your normal burglary,” Gallagher said. “It had the appearance of being done by kids who got in there and caused property damage. We are taking it seriously. We do have some forensic leads from evidence that was left there.” The police took fingerprints and DNA and are currently waiting for the results.
If it was youths that committed the crime, they may not yet be in the system, Gallagher admitted. “But their fingerprints will now be on file and if they get in trouble for something else down the road, this will haunt them.”
There was a similar case a few years ago, Gallagher said. When the police broke that one, it turned out to be 20 or 30 kids who broke into a house. That case was solved, however, and has no bearing on the current vandalism that occurred at the home other than to say there has been past success solving that type of crime.
The homeowners are looking into an alarm system and cameras for the house they’ve had for 14 years. “In all that time, we’ve never seen as much as a trash can go missing,” the owner said. “I want people to be aware that this sort of thing can happen and you need to check on your properties if you aren’t year-round residents.”
Anyone with information on the vandalism that occurred at the home on Cresse Avenue prior to Jan. 9 is asked to contact Wildwood Police Department at 522-0222.
To contact Bryon Cahill, email bcahill@cmcherald.com.