STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Just days before the nation honors those lives lost in service of the country, a war memorial dedicated to the servicemen of Midland Beach was nearly wiped out in a crash Tuesday morning, according to the NYPD.
Around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, a 2014 RAM vehicle collided with the Midland Beach Veterans Memorial at the intersection of Midland Avenue and Capodanno Boulevard, the NYPD said in a statement to the Advance/SILive.com.
The Midland Beach Veterans Memorial suffered some damage when police say a vehicle hit the site on the morning of Tuesday, May 20, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Petel
While no injuries were reported as a result of this incident, the memorial suffered considerable damage.
The platform on which the Midland Beach Veterans Memorial rests was partially destroyed. Shattered blocks were visibly strewn about.
The scattered stones were partially roped off with caution tape as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Midland Beach Veterans Memorial was damaged when police say a vehicle hit the site and fled the scene on the morning of Tuesday, May 20, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Petel
Fortunately, the monuments themselves appeared largely intact. However, judging from the aftermath, the destruction came within inches of taking out the memorial.
The site’s original memorial, a 14-foot wooden monument, was dedicated in 1942, honoring the 117 Midland Beach residents then fighting during World War II, according to previous reporting.
In 1944, a hurricane took it out and it was soon replaced with another one which included the names of an additional 210 soldiers who joined the fight against the Axis powers since the original monument was erected.
In 1955, the city removed the memorial for a road widening. Finally, in 1992, the current memorial was installed.
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