Joe Venezia is one mayor who's not afraid to be hands on -- especially with criminals.
Estelle Manor, N.J.'s top brass was fed up with hearing about his town's 175-year old church being vandalized, so he decided to make sure it came to an end.
Venezia and church president Eric Madra started camping out near Estellville Methodist Church late at night to catch the culprits. And around midnight Sunday, he did.
"I immediately knew someone was in the church," he said as he stood near the battered church doors. "Apparently, I must have spooked them. At that point, they tore out of here like a bat out of hell."
The five vandals jumped into a nearby car and sped off, but Venezia wasn't about to let them get away.
He tailed the car and called N.J. State Police, directing officers as to where they were going.
"Finally, through their stupidity, they drove into a dead end road at which point we had them," Venezia said.
Matthew Cerullo, 29, and Nickolas Harpel, 20, were arrested and charged with burglary. Three juveniles were also taken into custody.
All told the five inflicted more than $8,000 in damages to the church -- destroying its custom-built doors and century's old organ. Madra says the hoodlums should pay for the damage.
Venezia agrees: "It's very sad that they would do something like this."
