3 NJ teens face graffiti charges in Suffern
By STEVE LIEBERMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

SUFFERN - Three New Jersey teenagers have been arrested on charges of writing graffiti on buildings and a train station booth, police said yesterday.

Suffern police arrested them Tuesday night during rush hour, after a commuter saw people using shoe polish and black markers in the train station area and called police, Detective Craig Long said.

Long, a police department spokesman, said the three Mahwah teens also gave statements concerning graffiti that was found Wednesday on buildings on Orange Avenue, Chestnut Street and Suffern Place.

Police arrested Clayton D. Mann, 18, of 901 Ramapo Bray Lane; Keith Smith, 17, of 801 Ramapo Bray Lane; and Brian S. Tiger, 16, of 153 Stag Hill Road.

Each was charged with four counts of possession of graffiti instruments and making graffiti, both misdemeanors, and third-degree criminal mischief, a felony, because $250 or more of damage was caused to the property.

They were released without bail for a Jan. 16 hearing before village Justice Matthew Byrne.

The three teenagers were arrested by Officer Louis Venturini and his police dog, Hero. Venturini was the first of several officers to respond, taking the teenagers into custody on Chestnut Street near the train station.

Long said several other officers were involved in questioning the teenagers.

Based on their investigation, police accused the three teens of writing "Torso, Big" and "SNS" on buildings and the train station's enclosed glass booth with shoe polish and permanent markers, Long said. SNS stands for "skills and style," he said.

The police also confiscated markers with other colors, such as pink, white and black, Long said.

Called "tagging," graffiti is an eyesore and will not be tolerated in the village, Long said. Tagging is general graffiti, unlike street gang markings, which send messages to rival gangs.

"This is a quality-of-life issue and the bottom line is: It's not artistic, it's illegal," Long said.