Between the dates January 21th and January 25th, several acts of vandalism were committed at Blind Brook Middle High School, causing damage to multiple school buses. Amongst other acts, fire extinguishers were taken from the inside of one of the school buses and sprayed on the inside of these vehicles. On the bus there was a seat that was slashed with a knife.
According to Rye Brook police, the buses were unlocked, which is why it was easy for the vandals to access the buses. To ensure safety after the repeated acts of vandalism, the police department conducted increased patrols in the area of the bus garage, and the district was encouraged to insure the buses were locked overnight.
There were theories on social media that these events could possibly be related to the Port Chester High School buses being vandalized, but these appear to be conjecture, as there was not any vandalism noted recently at Port Chester High School. When speaking with Rye Brook Chief of Police, Gregory Austin, I asked him how Rye Brook citizens reacted to these acts of vandalism. Chief Austin stated that besides the initial crimes being reported there was no information provided from the public. No one gave any tips or contacted them.
According to Chief Austin, the Rye Brook Police Department and the Blind Brook school district have a very good relationship, with excellent, open communication, which was particularly helpful and important during this time. Chief Austin explained “After this happened (speaking of the vandalism), Dr. Byrne called me, and we talked about it and I told him we’d be giving the bus area extra patrols and he was appreciative of that; we have always had good communication with the school district”.
The acts of vandalism remain under investigation. There have been no further incidents since these two were reported in January. The police, in conjunction with the school district, are doing everything they can to ensure events like this do not happen again. If anyone has any information regarding these incidents, please contact the Rye Brook Police at: 914-937-1020.