Vernon’s Unplug and Play toy boxes have again been targetted.
A fire was started inside one of the boxes around 5:30 p.m. Monday at the south Vernon park on 43rd Street.
Erica Arteaga was at the park with her daughter and a friend when they noticed a group of teen boys, “up to no good.”
Arteaga says: “They lit something on fire, and threw it into the Unplug and Play toy box, closed and sat on the lid for a minute and then walked away. The girls came running home to tell us moms. We quickly grabbed some big bowls and ran over to put it out. Thank God we did. Full of some toys and wood chips.”
She feared that if they had not doused the blaze it could have spread to a nearby house 15 feet away or injured a child.
“An innocent kid not knowing and opening a hot metal lid off the box.”
The box was not damaged, but a couple toys were melted from the fire.
READ MORE: Empty Vernon playbox restocked by anonymous donor