Leominster field vandalized by Fitchburg HS seniors

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (WHDH) -- Several Fitchburg High School seniors have admitted to vandalizing a Leominster field Thursday night.

The Fitchburg High students spray painted a sign over at the field Thursday night before jumping a fence and continuing their damage.

Red and grey -- the colors of Fitchburg High School -- were sprayed all over their rival’s field at Leominster High School, doing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Six Fitchburg High School students -- five seniors and a freshman -- have come forward saying they're the vandals.

“There was also one 2015 painted on one of these structures down here, so I guess he left his mark,” said Gil Donatelli, President of the Doyle Field Foundation.

Doyle Field's concession stand, press box, and school mascot were all hit; it's the latest episode in the fierce rivalry between Fitchburg and Leominster.

“Leominster has been accused and caught doing things like this on that side. It goes on to some degree every couple years,” Donatelli said.

Over the last few years, about $5 million has been spent on the field, sprucing it up with renovations and security.

Those six students came forward after being told they were caught on camera. Police say they're still investigating and haven't arrested anyone yet.

“Any time you mark up or destroy property, it's considered vandalism, and it's a felony in Massachusetts,” said Officer Richard Woodward, Leominster Police Department.

But there was a silver lining: other Fitchburg High students who weren't involved still came to apologize for their classmates.

“They'd like to donate the balance of their senior fund to the cleanup of this facility,” Donatelli said.

The field is owned by the City of Leominster but used by the school for football and soccer games. The students involved expressed interest in paying for the damage.