Police searching for vandals who snatched hundreds of trees from Queens park

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Three hundred trees were snatched from a park in Queens earlier this month. Authorities are looking for whoever vandalized 5,000 square feet of Kissena Park in Flushing.

The incident happened last week on Sunday when vandals came and removed $15,000 worth of trees, authorities said.

“It is terrible,” said Franklin Friedman, who was in disbelief that the place where he goes to grab some fresh air was vandalized.

Off-road bike tracks can be seen where the trees were removed.

“Sometimes when I am out here, I see kids coming here riding dirt bikes,” said Friedman.

Although biking in this natural area is prohibited, PIX11 News observed a man riding a trail motorcycle right by where the trees were taken from. There was another man on a mountain bike.

"Trees are so essential to our city, not just for beautifying our neighborhoods but also for cleaning our air. It’s so unthinkable that someone would do this," said a statement from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

PIX11 News has learned that over the past two years, volunteers have planted about 2,000 trees.

“I have seen all the parks department guys and the citizens come and plant the trees. Very surprised,” said Doug Rothlein, who has been coming to the park for decades to practice road bike racing.

The Department of Parks and Recreation told PIX11 News that it is working with the NYPD on this investigation, but it also needs the public’s help. Anyone with information on the investigation is asked to contact authorities.