Thousands of dollars worth of equipment stolen from West Islip, Babylon Boy Scout troops

The thieves broke into the trailers located in the parking lot of the West Islip Church of Christ last Friday night.

News 12 Staff

Nov 6, 2020, 10:24 PM

Updated 1,409 days ago

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Boy Scout troops in West Islip and Babylon are trying to recoup their losses after thieves snatched thousands of dollars worth of equipment last week.
The thieves broke into the trailers located in the parking lot of the West Islip Church of Christ last Friday night. They stole tents, stoves, canopies and much more.
The theft was caught on security camera, but it's a bit hard to see things due to rainy conditions at the time of the act. Scout masters say it looked like the thieves used bolt cutters to break in. They say since then, they've gotten bigger and stronger locks.
The Scout masters of troops 194 and 95 say the pastor's wife saw the trailers had been disturbed and notified them along with the police.
In addition to the stolen items, the Scout masters say anything that was left in the trailer was damaged by the pouring rain that day. The Scout masters say the theft now puts the Scouts' upcoming events in question.
"It's very disheartening, bad enough they're stealing from Scouts, they work hard these boys, work hard throughout the year to do fundraising to get this equipment," says Rob Murray, Scout master of Troop 95. "And the trailers parked in a church parking lot, so it had to be somebody very desperate, somebody with low morals. It's a terrible thing."
The Boy Scout troops have started GoFundMe pages to raise money to replace the stolen equipment. They've already raised thousands of dollars.