The Marietta Fire Museum was closed Thursday after someone broke in and vandalized several of its antique items overnight, authorities said.
Mjiti Whitlow was taken into custody after authorities say he entered the museum, located at Marietta Fire Station 51 on Haynes Street, early Thursday morning and spent several hours inside as firefighters were sleeping, Steve Dau, spokesperson for the Marietta Fire Marshal’s Office, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Whitlow is accused of damaging several items, but the most notable damage was to an antique coin-operated children’s ride that had been working, Dau said. The six antique vehicles were not damaged.
In photos shared with the AJC, the suspect can be seen using a fire extinguisher and spraying a mannequin dressed in firefighter gear. In another photo, he is holding a fire ax.
The museum, which opened in the late 1990s, features a collection of historic items like fire vehicles, tools and other gear dating to 1854, the museum’s website said. Some of the vehicles displayed include: an 1879 Silsby Steamer, a 1921 American LaFrance Pumper, a 1929 Seagrave Pumper, a 1949 Pirsch Ladder Truck and a 1952 Chevrolet Panel Truck.
Whitlow was taken into custody by Marietta police after city employees arrived for work and noticed the damage. He was charged with second-degree burglary and criminal damage to property and was being held without bond late Friday at the Cobb County jail.
Officials spent Thursday cleaning and removing the damaged items. The museum, which is free to visit, was open during its normal hours Friday.
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