Historic Sleepy Hollow lighthouse gutted by arsonists one year after undergoing $3.4 million restoration: Heartbreaking

Now they’re in deep ship.A group of baby-faced arsonists burned and gutted Sleepy Hollow’s beloved historic lighthouse just a year after its multi-million dollar renovation, police said Wednesday.Four young suspects hopped a locked fence leading to the charming red-and-white landmark at around 3:30 a.m.Saturday then smashed a window and climbed into the 142-year-old structure,  Westchester County Police Public Information Officer Kieran O’Leary told The Post.The twisted firebugs then allegedly lit parts of the bottom floor, which is set up as a museum, on fire and damaged antique furniture and books — leaving behind smoldering ash, broken glass and more than $100,000 in damage, officials said.“Setting a fire and trashing a place is bad enough.

It’s also one of the county’s more iconic places,” O’Leary said.“It’s a cherished landmark,” he added.“Everybody in Westchester is really upset about it.”Outraged locals have since flooded police with tips after cops released a photo of the alleged arsonists strolling over a bridge leading to the lighthouse, O’Leary said.The wild vandalism comes a year after the county unveiled a $3.4 million renovation of the lighthouse’s interior — including a restoration of the historic spotlight that guided ships away from the banks of the Hudson River for decades.Built in 1883, the lighthouse at Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow once housed a family and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.“It’s disappointing, and it’s heartbreaking to see this kind of damage that was just completely unnecessary,” Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said in News 12 footage.A Westchester County employee first spotted smoke wafting from the beloved landmark Saturday morning, prompting firefighters to rush to the blaze.The lighthouse is now temporarily closed for repairs.

“There have been weddings and proposals there and it’s more recently become an Instagram spot,” O’Leary said.�...