Police in Leechburg removed a rope that appeared to be tied into a noose hanging from a tree in the borough’s Riverfront Park.
Leechburg Councilman Chuck Pascal posted a comment on Facebook saying there is reason to believe the noose was left as a message, as it wasn’t tied securely enough to be a swing.
“We don’t know what specifically that message was intended to be, or to whom, if anyone in particular, it was directed,” Pascal wrote. “But make no mistake, I consider it an act of attempted racial intimidation. We will not be intimidated by cowards.”
Mayor Wayne Dobos said there isn’t enough evidence to suggest any motive behind the incident.
“There’s nothing to go off of at this time,” Dobos said. “I know people would like better answers, but that’s the truth.”
The rope was discovered and reported to police by a resident walking their dog.
The area is monitored by surveillance cameras, but the spot where the rope was found is blocked by pine trees, Dobos said. Police regularly patrol the area and work is frequently being done on a nearby gazebo, but the mayor said no witnesses to the rope being hung have come forward.
“Until we get some info, which would have to be a witness, we’ll never know what really happened,” Dobos said.
