FOWLERVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Greenwood Cemetery in Fowlerville is peaceful but over the weekend, someone disturbed that peace by driving recklessly from the roadway and plowing through more than a dozen headstones.
Fowlerville police posted about the incident on its Facebook page. At least one of those headstones dates back to the Civil War.
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“I thought it was disgraceful and yeah, it was disheartening. It was hard to see that, that someone would do that to people’s resting spot," Jamie Jasinski said.
His mother's urn is housed at Greenwood Cemetery just feet from where the vehicle crashed through the gate.
On Sunday, Jasinski said he took his father to the cemetery for Father’s Day to visit his mother’s urn and grandmother’s grave, like he has on other occasions since his mom's death in December 2023. But this time was disturbingly different.
“My dad goes, ‘What’s going on here?’ You see the gate’s all smashed up. It’s like, ya know, we drove around. My dad was worried someone hit my mom’s resting place,” Jasinski recalled.
Fowlerville police officer Dennis Masterman told 7 News Detroit, “Definitely a first.”
Saturday morning, Masterman said someone flagged him down and alerted him to the damage. He said the crash occurred late Friday night.
Masterman said a man drove his vehicle 262 feet and fled the scene.
“It’s a little disheartening. It’s a little hard on the soul," he said.
In all, he said 13 headstones were damaged. Investigators said that’s fewer than originally thought, but many tombstones are historical and irreplaceable.
“That’s a large amount,” Jasinski said.
There's thousands of dollars in damage.
“And veteran headstones. Being a veteran myself, seeing this and seeing this and seeing someone attempting to get away with.. Ya know, causing damage to something that is the last resting place for their loved ones,” Masterman said.
The police department posted about the crash on Facebook and said the driver was arrested and appropriate action is being taken. Police did not specify what may have caused the man to leave the roadway, however, they urged people who’ve had too much to drink, any drug or simply tired to stay off the roadway.
“Call an Uber, call a friend or just pull your vehicle over and go to sleep. Throw the keys in the glove box. There’s no excuses in this day and age. That’s how I look at it,” Jasinski said.
Fowlerville police said the case is under legal review.
