They went 'Big,' but should have stayed home.
Three young New Jersey men surrendered to police in connection with an alleged vandalism spree and theft of 200 stuffed animals from the amusement park best known for its role in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie "Big," authorities said Wednesday.
The trio allegedly trashed Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York, in the overnight hours of Sept. 23-24, after arriving at the beachside venue in a row boat, police said.
The young men then "climbed a fence to enter the amusement area" and began their spree, which caused $57,000 in damage, according to a police statement.
The young men allegedly vandalized “an electrical room, cutting or ripping out fiber-optic cables for phone and internet service,” stole “200 stuffed animals, which they hauled away in garbage bags” and attempted “to throw a photo booth off the boardwalk but were unable to do so,” police said.
The seasonal park, which opened in 1928, became known to massive audiences for its prominent role in the Hanks classic.
Connor Evancho, a 20-year-old from Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, turned himself in at Westchester County Police headquarters in Hawthorne, New York, on Wednesday, officials said.
Daniel Bracco, a 19-year-old from Oakland, New Jersey, surrendered Monday, and Anthony Conkling, 19, from Wykoff, New Jersey, turned himself in last week.
All three were charged with felony burglary and criminal mischief and misdemeanor trespassing and larceny.
An attorney for Evancho could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear if Bracco and Conkling had hired or been assigned attorneys yet to speak on their behalf. Telephone messages left at Bracco and Conkling’s homes were not immediately returned.
