5 tombstones vandalized at Frankford cemetery
PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Police are investigating vandalism at a local cemetery.
Groundskeepers spotted five toppled tombstones at the Mt. Sinai cemetery Tuesday afternoon and quickly alerted police. Four of the gravestones were in one area near a back gate off Sanger and Walker Streets. Another a few rows over. Police believe the vandals also tried to turn over these two headstones.
Investigators say the stones weigh almost a thousand pounds so they believe more than one person may be involved. Crime scene investigators swabbed the stones for DNA and searched for fingerprints. They confiscated a beer bottle near one toppled tombstone. Police are also looking for surveillance video.
The Jewish Federation of Philadelphia called the vandalism disgraceful and said the organization was dismayed by it. They praised police for investigating quickly.
There was no anti-semitic graffiti or hate language found near the scene. Police are talking to the cemetery owners about improving security there.
This latest incident comes almost three months after dozens of tombstones were overturned in Mt. Carmel cemetery just 10 blocks away. Cleanup work is almost complete there. There's a $74,000 reward in that case, but so far no arrests.
READ MORE: Fundraising to repair vandalized Jewish cemetery begins
This is a developing story, please stay with FOX 29 for updates.