GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A sense of peace has been restored at Woodlawn Cemetery after a man tore through the natural landscape last week, destroying roughly 50 grave sites.
Late Thursday, a jogger going through the cemetery caught the violent act on camera.
“Hey, knock it off!” Craig O'Neill yells at the man in the video.
“Go about your way, man, but don’t come back here. … You can’t smash the cemetery, dude!”
The man, who has not yet been publicly identified, then appears to walk towards a wooded area.
Police tell FOX 17 that approximately 50 sites were destroyed or tampered with.
A source with the city of Grand Rapids tells FOX 17 that five more graves were disturbed at nearby Oak Grove Cemetery.
Both sites are owned by the city. Graves were restored for the most part by the beginning of this week.
For one family, the pain of seeing their loved one's final resting place desecrated will take time to heal.
Jason Mancuso, a genealogy enthusiast, has spent years researching his family's history, eventually exploring hundreds of names buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
His great-grandfather, Vincenzo Mancuso, is buried there.
Jason has grown attached to the statue of Saint Joseph that has long watched over Vincenzo’s grave.
"This grave over here is my great-grandfather's," Jason said, pointing to the now damaged grave site.
"I can see that my dad did a makeshift repair with some garden wire to kind of put it back together."
About a year and a half ago Jason began his foray into local Italian American genealogy.
After connecting with the Italian American Club of West Michigan, his work expanded.
Jason says, based on his research, the cemetery is the final resting place for more than 800 Italian American families, including the Palazzolo and Russo families.
"They are my family," Jason said. "I mean, I know my ancestors went and shopped at these stores and talked to these people."
He and the Italian American Club had actually been planning a tour of Oaklawn when news of the vandalism broke.
"I was literally in tears," Jason said. "Because I saw... I recognized the names on the graves."
Jason hopes that law enforcement will find the person responsible for the destruction and bring them to justice.
"I'm glad it wasn't targeted," Jason said. "That was my first initial thought; I could see that there's trouble with this person, and I hope he finds peace."
Even though all the grave sites are nearly all put back together, the emotional scars will take time to heal.
“These people are expecting eternal rest here,” Jason said.
So far, no arrests have been made in connection to the vandalism. Police continue to work the case.
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