Editor’s note: This is an updated story regarding charges filed in a fire set at a playground at a Woodbridge school.
WOODBRIDGE – Police and fire officials have charged three juveniles with setting a fire that destroyed a significant portion of the boundless playground equipment at the Matthew Jago Elementary School No. 28 in the Sewaren section of Woodbridge, according to Mayor John E. McCormac and Police Director Robert Hubner.
A neighborhood resident called 911 after spotting the fire at 5:45 p.m. on Aug. 1, according to officials. The Port Reading Fire Department responded to the scene and found a large section of playground equipment fully engulfed in flames. Officials said the fire was under control by 6:30 p.m.
The Woodbridge Police Department, with assistance from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, charged a 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds on Aug. 3 with causing about $100,000 in damage.
“I am gratified that the Woodbridge Police Department was able to make arrests within hours of the fire. These arrests send a strong message to anyone who thinks that setting a fire and destroying thousands of dollars of playground equipment is simply vandalism,” McCormac said in a statement on Aug. 6. “I would like to thank neighborhood residents – and the media – for their assistance and cooperation in helping the Woodbridge Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office conduct a thorough and effective investigation.”
A boundless playground is a fully accessible playground designed to provide handicapped and challenged youngsters of all ages with skills and experience with many and varied play events, according to the statement.
The custom-designed playground includes more than 60 challenging pieces of equipment — all handicapped-accessible — including wheelchair access ramps, swings, platforms and seats; monster sliding boards; tube slides; tree, snake, coil and centipede climbing ladders; a crazy maze adventure area; benches and tables.
It was constructed in August of 2008 with a $250,000 Open Space Grant from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.And, Matthew Jago School is home to Camp P.A.C.E. (Parents’ Organization Program for the Advancement of Children’s Education), which serves autistic and challenged youngsters.