Sayreville, N.J. – The four teens who allegedly stole 27 baby Jesus statues from Nativity scenes outside churches and homes had planned to burn them, police said.
Two of the suspects, who ranged in age from 15 to 19, said they acted out of boredom, authorities said.
“They were looking for things to do,” Detective Ken Kelly said. “They told us, ‘We were going to have a baby Jesus burning party.”‘
One suspect told detectives, “We just wanted to see their heads burning,” Kelly said.
The suspects, arrested Monday, face charges of theft, criminal mischief, destruction of venerated objects and conspiracy. They could face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Robert Olson, whose 18-year- old son, Christopher, was charged, said he and his family were shocked by the arrest.
“Although Chris is sometimes misguided, this was not something we expected out of him,” he said.
Olson said his son is unemployed and working toward resuming his high school education.
The teen is on probation for a disorderly-person offense involving a disagreement with a neighbor, his father said.
“I hope my son and the others will come to grips with what they’ve done and make full restitution and get whatever help they need to get rid of those feelings,” Olson said.
Frank Payne, whose 19-year- old son, Michael, also was charged, said bias was not a factor.
“Michael has been hanging around with the wrong people,” he said. “He goes to college. He’s an outstanding young kid.”
Also charged were 18-year-old Nicholas Hess and a 15-year-old who was not identified because of his age, police said.
The investigation began Sunday afternoon, when vandals destroyed a cross and a large statue of Jesus at a cemetery at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Sayreville, the police said.
The night before, a neighbor had seen flashlights in the cemetery and jotted down the license number of a car in the vicinity.
Investigators traced the license plate to the address of one of the teenagers, and the baby Jesus figures were found in a car there, the police said.
“It looked like a maternity ward,” Lt. Glenn Skarzynski said of the figurines.
He added, “Anyone able to identify their particular baby Jesus will be able to be reunited.”
The New York Times contributed to this report.
