On New Year’s Eve, vandals severely damaged the Penn Academy Softball League’s equipment shed in Northeast Philadelphia, and it left the team facing a major setback ahead of the spring season.
The break-in occurred at Thomas Holme Park, where the perpetrators broke into the shed, stole equipment, and set fire to the team’s only quad, which is used for maintaining the fields.
This incident marks the third time in two years that the league has been targeted, but the damage this time is unprecedented.
Jim Dagostino, Director of Penn Academy Softball, expressed deep frustration over the situation. He mentioned that while the league has dealt with vandalism before, the scale of this attack was far worse than previous ones.
The vandals broke the locks off the shed with a 4×4, destroyed the beverage cooler with a baseball bat, and set fire to the quad by stuffing paper towels into its gas tank.
A parent spotted the fire just before 9 p.m., and the fire department responded quickly, extinguishing the flames before the damage could spread further.
However, the destruction was already significant. There was shattered glass and missing equipment like bases and bats, and the quad, which was essential for field maintenance, had been burned beyond repair.
The nonprofit league now faces thousands of dollars in damages due to the attack.
Local authorities, including the fire marshal, have launched an investigation into the incident, treating it as arson.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Mike Driscoll condemned the act, stating that such reckless behavior caused harm to the league and endangered people’s lives.
Dagostino suspects that the vandals, likely young individuals, were attempting to gain attention on social media, as they had posted photos of the fire online before deleting them.
Put the devastation aside, and the community has shown strong support for the league. A volunteer clean-up event is already planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to help repair some of the damage.
Dagostino remains hopeful that the league will recover in time for the spring season, although he acknowledges that it will be a long road ahead.
The investigation continues, with police looking into possible suspects after reports of at least two individuals fleeing the scene.
Local officials have pledged to help bring those responsible to justice and support the league’s efforts to replace the damaged equipment.
