By AP/KWMU
Alton, Ill. – Police in Alton say they've found five teenagers who vandalized the landmark Piasa Bird earlier this month. The bird is a mythological beast painted on the bluffs along the Mississippi River.
Sticks that were dipped in tar were thrown at the bird and tar was dripped on the park's patio and walkway.
Alton Police Chief Chris Sullivan says one teen was overheard at Alton High School talking about the vandalism, and other young people turned them in for a reward.
Four of the boys are 16 years old, and the other is 15.
Police say the boys wanted to explore caves at the park and took buckets of tar from a construction site to make "torches." The vandalism began after they couldn't get the tar to light.