A 14-year-old boy was arrested on Friday for allegedly vandalizing the memorial of a fallen Navy SEAL.
The boy was charged with second-degree criminal mischief, pending an arraignment, Fox 5 reported.
Suffolk County Police were notified of the vandalism on Thursday. By 3 a.m. on Friday, the teen had been arrested in his home, Fox News reported.
The Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park in Lake Ronkonkoma was dedicated to Murphy in 2009. It would have been his 30th birthday.
A granite stone with an image of Murphy had been shattered, as seen by a photo police released to Facebook.
Murphy was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005, when he and other members of his team were ambushed in a mission.
“Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates,” his Summary of Action read.
Murphy was also the recipient of the Medal of Honor.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter that he was “appalled and disgusted”. He added that the state would pay to replace the plaque.
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