Desperate officials on billionaires’ island offer $10,000 to find crooks who destroyed devices keeping ritzy homes from falling into the sea
A bizarre vandalism case has prompted officials on an infamous New England island to fork over $10,000 in a desperate plea to catch the alleged culprits who destroyed vital devices that slow the impacts of erosion.
Nantucket, Massachusetts, is a coastal paradise on the Northeastern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, where homes average $3.5 million.
However, underneath the island’s serenity, locals are in a race against time to save their beautiful oceanfront mansions from falling into the sea as erosion creeps up onto the shore.
The Sconset Beach Preservation Fund installed a series of ‘geotubes’ in 2014, a 950-foot-long installation that absorbs wave energy and slows erosion on the most vulnerable parts of the Sconset Bluff.
The SBPF announced earlier this month that intentional damage was done to a section of the geotubes.
An independent investigation has now concluded that the damage was likely the result of intentional vandalism, and the organization is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the alleged culprit.
The investigation was conducted by former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.
‘Based on the evidence reviewed, the clean, linear cuts are consistent with a premeditated and willful act of vandalism,’ Davis said in a statement. ‘This was in no way an accident or the result of natural forces.’
The Sconset Beach Prevention Fund has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of an alleged vandal accused of destroying geotubes. Geotubes, pictured above, are a sand colored structure intended to slow down the effects of erosion
An independent investigation concluded that the damage to the geotubes, pictured above, was likely the result of vandalism caused by a knife
Nantucket is a picturesque community where homes average $3.5 million. In addition to the monetary cost, locals have an additional cost of preventing erosion from washing away their oceanfront properties
Davis told the Nantucket Current that although he does not have experience with coastal engineering, his police background was sufficient to conclude that the damage couldn’t have been a result of natural degradation.
He told the publication that the alleged vandal, or vandals, likely slashed open the geotubes with a knife.
Davis added in an interview with the Boston Globe that the incident was a ‘straightforward case of vandalism’ and that the damage to the geotubes could be in the millions.
The Nantucket Police Department hasn’t addressed the $10,000 reward. It’s unclear who hired Davis to conduct the internal investigation.
A police report viewed by the Boston Globe from February 2 stated that the geotube had five cuts, the largest measuring about three feet.
The report also noted that the geotubes appeared to be leaking sand. The responding officer said two construction crews were interviewed and did not see anything suspicious.
Officers searched the surrounding area and asked nearby homes for security cameras pointing at the bluff, but didn’t find any, according to the report.
One construction worker told police that the area is quiet in the off-season, and most of the homes in the direct area were empty in the winter.
Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said the damage to the geotubes were ‘consistent with a premeditated and willful act of vandalism.’ Davis is pictured above at a meeting on September 29, 2018
The geotubes have long divided Nantucket’s residents. Pictured above is a house on the island getting slammed by waves in 2010 as sea levels continue to rise
The Daily Mail has reached out to police for comment.
Meridith Moldenhauer, a representative of the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund, said in a statement that the case was ‘a serious threat to public safety and public infrastructure.’
‘Until repairs are made, the damage materially increases the risk to Baxter Road and the utilities it supports,’ she continued.
‘SBPF is committed to working constructively with the Town, the Natural Resources Department, and state partners to identify a path forward that protects the community.’
The geotubes have remained a point of contention in the Nantucket beach community.
Before reports of alleged vandalism surfaced, the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy opposed the devices, writing in a letter that two coastal engineers warned any potential damage would be ‘challenging to repair,’ the Nantucket Current previously reported.
The conservancy’s Director, Anne Atherton, said in a statement after the alleged vandalism that even though the conservancy opposed the structures, they ‘vigorously’ condemned the damage, adding: ‘There is no place in our community for acts like this.’
Residents of Nantucket have long been divided on the structures. Supporters believe it’s an important measure in the fight against erosion, while critics argue that the devices merely push erosion further down the shoreline.
