Two men have been charged after an investigation sparked by a video showing one of men urinating on the memorial to young boy who died of cancer seven years ago.
Christian Clopp was 9½ when he died. An all-access playground was dedicated to his honor in 2014.
But on Sunday, his father posted a video showing a bearded man with a Bellace Plumbing shirt on laughing with the man behind the camera, and then urinating on the memorial to Christian. An open beer can is also seen nearby.
The person videoing it zooms in at one point to show the child's face on the memorial as it happens.
Police were able to identify the man in the video as Bryan Bellace, 23, of Egg Harbor City, who was charged with lewdness, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and having an open alcholic beverage in a park, police later said.
The video was posted under Daniel Flippen's Snapchat.
Flippen, 23, of Hammonton, was charged with having an open alcoholic beverage in a park.
Both men were released on summonses.
“I can’t believe that I am actually posting this,” wrote Mark Clopp, a retired Hamilton Township police officer. “I don’t understand this world today. A friend of ours came over today to inform us that a video was posted of two scumbags urinating on Christian’s memorial at his playground.”
The posting was later deleted by Facebook, according to Clopp. He said about 24,000 people have viewed it before that.
In it he wrote that his wish “would be for them to scrub the oncology floor at Children’s Hospital with a toothbrush. Perhaps then they would appreciate what it is like to watch your child fight a terminal illness.”
Police have not yet confirmed the identities or any charges at this time.
“Christian was a child who represented everything that was right,” his father wrote. “He had no enemies and smiled at everyone he came in contact with.”
Anyone who knows the men can call Hamilton Township police at 609-625-2700.
