Staten Island's monument to World Trade Center victims has been vandalized for a third time in four years, or at least that was what multiple media outlets reported.
The "Postcards'' memorial contains 274 plaques in honor of Staten Islanders who perished in the 1993 and 2001 terrorist attacks on the trade center.
Officials said five granite plaques were torn off, leaving gaping spaces in the soaring sculpture. The damage was first detected this week - but it all turned out to be a miscommunication.
The plaques were taken down by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
The Plaques were not vandalized. They were cracked from previous vandalism attempts and exposure to the elements. New Plaques will be available by the end of the week," a Julie Wood a spokeswoman for the NYCEDC told NBCNewYork.
The EDC typically puts up signs when work is being performed but the signs were not in place when Staten Island Borough President Molinaro first saw he monument.
““I jumped the gun,” Molinaro said, “We all thought it was vandalism. I apologize to anyone that has a profile there of a loved one,” Borough President James P. Molinaro, told the Staten Island Advance.
The EDC believed that the borough president’s office was aware of the repairs but apologized for the confusion. A sign is now present stating that repairs are being made and the new plaques will be installed by the end of the week.
