Vandals topple headstones at MA cemetery

A two-century-old burial ground in Southbridge has been hit by vandals.

Police say more than 71 headstones were toppled this week at Oak Ridge Cemetery, some breaking in half when they hit the ground.

No arrests have been made and police are asking nearby residents to call if they saw or heard anything suspicious Tuesday night or early Wednesday, when the damage is believed to have occurred.

Police chief Daniel Charette calls the vandalism senseless, adding that it's happened before at the town-managed cemetery.

Some three dozen headstones were vandalized in 2007, prompting the installation of surveillance cameras at the main gate to the burial ground.

Charette tells the Telegram & Gazette that the vandals in the most recent case probably entered from a different part of the cemetery.