Classes cancelled at Pennsylvania school after man broke in, stripped, vandalized building

SCRANTON, Pa. -- An elementary school in Scranton was closed Thursday morning, May 30 after educators realized someone broke in, got naked, and vandalized the place.

Teachers discovered vandalism in parts of the gym and areas of the school.

"Once inside the school, the male took his clothes off and was walking through at least a portion of the school without any clothes on," said Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano.

Earlier in the day, WNEP was at the school for a segment about safety surrounding running in the dark. When they arrived around 4 a.m., a mess of Murphy's Oil Soap was already cleaned off of the gym floor.

Initially, some thought it was just a school prank, until the principal reviewed security footage later in the morning.

For safety, school officials decided around 7 a.m. to cancel classes, forcing 623 students pre-K through fifth grade to stay home.

"We're dealing with children. Better to be safe than sorry," Graziano said.

"I don't know why people have to be that way anymore. Schools are here to protect the kids," Marie Cimino said.

"I think that's crazy," Shauna Walsh said. "Who would do such a thing, and why -- especially to an elementary school? That's not right."

Administrators said students at Neil Armstrong Elementary would not have to make up the lost school day.