A vandal extensively caused fire damage to a playground ride and minor damage to the neighboring basketball court at Biwer Park in New Berlin on May 29.
New Berlin police arrested a 19-year-old man, who is suspected of having used a series of Molotov cocktails to ignite fires on the playground before sunrise, with neighbors spotting the flames at about 4:40 a.m. at the park, 3495 S. Sandalwood Drive.
In a news release, authorities also said witnesses had reported seeing a man with a gas can in the park at about that same time.
By the time police and firefighters arrived, they found the park’s small spinning ride ablaze. The New Berlin Fire Department quickly extinguished the flames, but the ride was “completely destroyed,” New Berlin Police Capt. Brad Polczynski said in the release.
“As for the park, our Parks Dept is actively cleaning up the mess, but the rest of the park remains open,” Polczynski said later in an email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Police said the suspect, who lives in New Berlin but who was not publicly identified pending formal charges, was arrested and taken to the Waukesha County Jail to await a court appearance.
There were no other reports of park damage, and police indicated the man is believed to have acted alone.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Suspect arrested for New Berlin park damage from Molotov cocktail
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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