STATEN ISLAND — An anonymous caller phoned a Staten Island newspaper to take credit for an alleged hate crime— and said it was all just a misunderstanding, according to a report.
The male caller said the bacon that was left on John D'Amato Field at New Dorp Park on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. during an end-of-Ramadan celebration was simply discarded because it was spoiled, according to the Staten Island Advance.
"I was reading the article about the horrible incident of bacon and Muslims in the park, and I wanted to let you know that is not my intention," the caller said in a Tuesday morning voicemail message, according to the Advance. "I had put the bacon there. It was going bad in my trunk, and I put it out for the scavengers like the opossums and the raccoons and sea gulls, and I did not intend for that to cause anybody any problems."
The caller stopped short of leaving his name in the voicemail message, the paper said.
A witness told the paper that the bacon was found at least 50 feet away from any roadway.
Police initially linked the incident to comments that were posted below an Aug. 17 Staten Island Advance story previewing the Muslim ceremony. The offensive comments have since been removed.
A police spokesman said the incident is still under investigation.
