Police tag graffiti suspect
Union Beach man charged with graffiti spree in local towns
BY J.J. SULLIVAN III Correspondent
Authorities charged a Union Beach man with 25 counts of criminal mischief, with the potential for more charges to come, after a sevenmonth investigation identified David Diehl as the lone suspect behind a graffiti spree that left significant property damage in at least 12 municipalities across northern Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

Graffiti in Red Bank.

D

iehl, of Clark Avenue, was arrested

June 5 after investigators concluded that the 20-year-old was the graffiti artist responsible for a seven-month spree of vandalism in which both private and public property was substantially damaged by his actions, police said.

The graffiti was spread over a relatively far-flung area, with identical images of the tag "CHUD" appearing on Keansburg stop signs, the Woodbridge mall, along the East Brunswick highway, on the side of Route 287 overpasses, and behind Red Bank Catholic High School. Police said Diehl uses the tag CHUD.

A June 5 traffic stop revealed Diehl's pickup truck to be a "mobile art studio," according to Union Beach Detective Michael Woodrow, the arresting officer.

A wall in Keyport bears a tag.

"[Diehl's pickup truck] was found to contain spray-paint cans, small paint markers and other art paraphernalia" that would be used in painting graffiti, he said.

Union Beach police charged Diehl with a single count of third-degree criminal mischief, the first and most serious of the 25 criminal mischief charges filed by municipalities thus far.

He was released from custody in lieu of $10,000 bail. However, the Union Beach resident would soon have to deal with officers from neighboring police departments.

Police from Keyport, Holmdel, Keansburg and Hazlet have since charged Diehl with varying counts of criminal mischief since his initial arrest. Red Bank police were unavailable before press time to comment on the presence of any tags believed to be Diehl's.

In addition to the towns already mentioned, officials raised the possibility that Diehl was allegedly responsible for similar graffiti found in Old Bridge, Marlboro, Manalapan, Sayreville, Edison and New Brunswick.

Keansburg police charged Diehl with 20 counts of criminal mischief for the alleged spray-painting of various signs and property throughout the borough, Detective Sgt. Michael White said. Diehl was released after bail was set at $2,500.

The arrest by the Union Beach detective was the culmination of a lengthy investigation that involved the use of both surveillance and online resources, authorities said.

"Criminal mischief is a crime seldom solved by law enforcement officials," Woodrow said. "But a significant amount of damage can be incurred by these transgressions against the law."

Hazlet police charged Diehl with two counts of criminal mischief, according to Detective Jerry Burgos. Burgos said one of the charges resulted from a February 2008 incident in which Diehl allegedly used a paint marker to write "CHUD" on the hood of a patrol car while the officer driving the cruiser went inside the Wawa located on Route 36.

"He defaced the patrol car because someone dared him," Burgos said, referring to the alleged impetus behind Diehl's supposed actions.

Burgos said police believe Diehl uses the tag names of "CHUD" and "Sponge."

Woodrow stated he would not be surprised to see more charges levied against Diehl as municipalities continue to discover the presence of both "CHUD" and "Sponge."

The detective who made the arrest said the tag "CHUD" was an homage to a popular horror movie, "C.H.U.D." [the letters represent the film's probable antagonist, a cannibalistic humanoid underground dweller]. Police believe "Sponge" may be an apparent reference to the cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants."

In recent months, the tag artist was only identifiable to authorities through the oft-noticed tags anonymously etched upon concrete structures, highway corridors and two-lane bridges. Officials estimated that the alleged graffiti artist has thrown up roughly 100 of his signatures in and around areas of the two counties.

Detective Mark Hafner of the Keyport Police Department said Diehl faced two counts of criminal mischief, both relating to instances in which his reported tag appeared on the windows of a commercial business and an overpass at the intersection of Maple Place and Route 35.

Hafner said before Union Beach police identified Diehl as the alleged offender, some PBA officials from the Bayshore region of Monmouth County had discussed increased networking with their counterparts as a way to facilitate a solution to the growing graffiti problem.

"We had talked about taking the issue public and offering a reward," Hafner said. "But before we could,Woodrow made the arrest."

Officials said Diehl was allegedly responsible for roughly $2,000 worth of damages in his hometown. Woodrow estimated that the potential expense of covering up the graffiti could end up costing thousands of dollars more.

According to New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice 2C:17-3, charges issued for property damage under $500 are considered disorderly persons offenses. Fourthdegree criminal mischief is levied when damages are valued between $500 and $2,000. Third-degree criminal mischief covers damages valued between $2,000 and $75,000, according to the state code.

The punishment for conviction on a single count of criminal mischief would vary depending on the amount of damage, Burgos said. If the conviction for a disorderly persons offense involves graffiti, the party at fault could be required to give the owner of the damaged property monetary restitution, he added.

"There is a broad range of sentencing possibilities," the Hazlet detective concluded. "For example, Union Beach has charged [Diehl] with third-degree criminal mischief; so right now [Union Beach] could have enough damage to merit possible jail time.Asingle count of third-degree criminal mischief could result in a fiveyear stint behind bars."

Diehl was unavailable for comment before press time.