RIO GRANDE — The county Sheriff’s Department through its Crime Stoppers program and Cape May Seashore Lines are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who vandalized railroad cars parked near the Route 47 crossing behind the Rio Stadium movie theaters.

Cape May Seashore Lines President Tony Macrie told the Herald the vandalized trains were “extremely historic in nature with several pieces built in the mid-1920s while others were built in 1950 and 1951.”
He said railroad equipment and tracks are private property and are protected by the Federal Government.
Damaging railroad property is a federal offense, Macrie added.

The coaches are covered with graffiti, windows are broken, parts are missing from below the cars and in at least one car and seats have been torn from the floor. One Budd Car is entirely covered in bright Day-Glo graffiti.
He estimates damage to the string of railcars at $500,000 or higher.

“When the trains arrived in Rio Grande, they were in a pristine, immaculate, and spotless condition with no graffiti or broken windows,” he said. “They were categorized as stored serviceable meaning they were operational.”

He compared the vandalism to spray painting someone’s automobile in their driveway.
Macrie said he believed the worst of the damage has occurred in the past year-and-a-half. He said the cost of repairing antique railcars is very expensive.

All calls to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous. Those with information are asked to call: 1-866-465-2800 or 465-2800.

Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jim Abbott said he believes someone has knowledge of who damaged the railroad cars and they can receive a cash award upon the arrest and indictment of the individual. He said two rewards have been paid this year.

Contact Fichter at (609) 886-8600 Ext 30 or at: jfichter@cmcherald.com.