More than 100 headstones toppled at historic Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Police are investigating after vandals toppled 124 headstones at a historic Jewish cemetery.

The groundskeeper of Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, located in the city’s Frankford section, arrived about 6 a.m. Thursday to find that dozens of grave markers had been knocked off their bases and toppled over, a local NBC affiliate reported.

“The thought went through my mind, ’this is a disgrace for somebody to do something like this,’” said groundskeeper Johnny Gibson, who has worked at the cemetery for 44 years.

Some graves on the 12-acre property date back 160 years, with only a handful of new burials each year. Mr. Gibson said he’s never seen vandalism at the burial grounds before.

“I don’t know who would do it,” he said. “Were the people on drugs? Were they drunk? I don’t know. But you wouldn’t be in your right mind, I don’t think, to do something like this.”

Repairs will require machines to lift the heavy headstones and funding that “may not be readily available,” the station reported.

Anyone with information on the vandalism is asked to contact Philadelphia Police.