Vandals strike Dover station, damage at least 39 vehicles

DOVER — Three 12-year-old boys have been charged in connection with the vandalism of 39 cars at the Dover Plains Metro-North train station early Sunday morning, June 7, according to Metro-North officials.

At about 3 a.m., the front and rear windshields, windows, mirrors and taillights of vehicles were smashed, tires were slashed, and obscene language was spray-painted onto the sides of cars.

Alan Tucker is a resident of Sharon and New York City, and has a permit to park his car in the Dover Plains station.

“I came back [to Dover] on Sunday evening,� he said. “It looked like a cyclone had hit.�

Tucker’s car was one of the vehicles vandalized. His front and rear windshield were smashed and shattered, and he said while small things were missing, like sunglasses, he didn’t believe the motivation was primarily theft.

Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for Metro-North Railroad, said they have received no reports of stolen property. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority police is the only department handling the case, according to Anders.

Anders said she did not know the frequency with which the Dover Plains station is patrolled, but that Metro-North has 122 stations in two states on both sides of the Hudson River in a 3,000 square mile area.

“We can’t be everywhere at the same time,� Anders acknowledged, saying that the incident was “very unusual� and that “generally we don’t have a lot of crime.�

When asked about the possibility of installing security cameras, Anders said that while some stations have them, they are very expensive.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of people thinking about [installing cameras],� she said. “I don’t know if there are plans though.�

Sgt. Michael Collier, station commander at the New York State Police branch in Dover, said that while cases of vandalism have occurred recently in the town, it has not been determined whether they were related.

Dover town Supervisor Ryan Courtien did not return calls for comment on the incident. But the vandalism appears to be making people think twice about the safety of the Dover station.

“I was worried about it before,� said Tucker, “knowing there were no security cameras or security measures.�

Tucker said that since his car was vandalized he has been in contact with LAZ Parking, the company that offers permit and metered parking at many Metro-North stations, to move his permit to Wassaic.

“I want out of there. I want to go up where there’s 24-hour security.� Tucker said he was told there is a waiting list for permits in Wassaic, and he has yet to hear back from LAZ.

“It’s important for me to use the Dover station, but it makes me anxious to leave my car overnight now,� said Steven Aresty, who parked his car at the Dover Plains station over the weekend but was not a victim of vandalism.

“Take common sense precautions,� Collier said about preventing future incidents. “Don’t leave valuables in your car. If you do park in long-term parking, do it in a well-lit area.�

Most importantly, Collier stressed that residents should call the police if they know anything about the vandalism or if they see any suspicious activity in the future.

“We’d rather get the call and have to check it out,� he said.

MTA police have not yet made contact with all the owners of the cars that were vandalized and are asking victims to call them at 845-905-3500.