NIAGARA FALLS, NY (WKBW) — The Niagara Falls City School District has reached out to Crime Stoppers to help police track down those responsible for recently vandalizing and burglarizing Niagara Falls High School.
“It's very disconcerting,” said Mark Laurrie, Niagara Falls City School District Superintendent.
"It's unjust to the students that we have to deal with this when we could be focusing on other things,” said Byran Dalporto, Niagara Falls City School District Director of Security.
In the last 30 to 45 days, there have been five rounds of vandalism at the high school. Laurrie told me it all happened in the overnight hours.
"Broken windows, broken windows on trucks, maintenance trucks that we park out there, and in one case, a can of white paint that was splashed on the front of the high school,” described Laurrie.
Dalporto told me they provided surveillance footage and photos to the Niagara Falls Police Department.
“And it really is discouraging, because we take great pride in our buildings and facilities here,” Dalporto said.
It appears to be one or possibly two male suspects. Crime Stoppers is now offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest or indictment of those responsible.
"We have surveillance, and we do have pictures and videos, and the school district has great camera systems, but honestly, the information will come from something like Crime Stoppers or some tip, right?" Dalporto said. "Because somebody, somebody always knows what's going on. So we're hoping someone tips us off.”
"We've also been left notes by this individual, or individuals, that say ‘you'll never catch me,' ‘you won't stop me,’ and it's taunting, almost,” noted Laurrie.
Dalporto says those notes could help crack the case.
"It's just another clue to help us find the suspect,” Dalporto said.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 716-867-6161.
The high school building, field house, and athletic field are all monitored with many state-of-the-art cameras.
“I have no doubt that the Niagara Falls Police Department will catch them,” responded Dalporto.
Both the chief of security and the superintendent told me that they're very frustrated by the time and expense that this has cost the district.
"We want to catch this individual or individuals, and we want to put an end to this," said Laurrie.
