Photo: Paul Clayton

A month after the WWI era submarine USS Ling was vandalized and flooded, two suspects have been apprehended related to at least some of the vandalism. The complaints filed against them by the Hackensack Police may, however, raise more questions than answers.

In mid August, vandals broke into the USS Ling, a Balao-class submarine, which has been a museum ship in the Hackensack River since 1973. The vandals stole four bronze plaques, valued at $10,000, which were dedicated to the sailors lost in the 52 United States submarines during World War II. The vandals also cut through locks to open hatches on the 312-foot long, 2,500-ton submarine, flooding the inner hull of the vessel. 

Now the Hackensack Police have signed complaints against Jon Stevens and Laura Palmese, of Connecticut, for burglary and theft in connection with the submarine break-in. The police suggest that the pair parked at the Heritage Diner across from the submarine, swam the Hackensack River, and climbed aboard the USS Ling, where they allegedly stole a lantern and a Medical Corps lieutenant shoulder lapel.

According to the police, the submarine had already been flooded when the pair climbed aboard. Stevens and Palmese were not charged with the submarine’s flooding or the theft of the four memorial plaques. 

NorthJersey.com reports that Stevens and Palmese were described as urban explorers, people who explore abandoned buildings and other places and sometimes catalog what they find by Hackensack Police Capt. Peter Busciglio. “They are part of some group that goes around looking at abandoned places.” 

When Hackensack Police spoke to Stevens, he confessed to the break-in, Busciglio said.

The details of the arrests have raised questions.  Leslie Altschuler, vice president of the Submarine Memorial Association, which maintains the Ling, commented, “I’m kind of surprised that anybody that swam out there is still alive. For anybody to have stolen anything after it was flooded they would have had to be swimming underwater inside the boat. It just doesn’t make sense to me.” 

Busciglio said that additional charges for more people are forthcoming.

Thanks to Walter Scott for contributing to this post.