By Kevin Shea

A 7-foot statue of Christopher Columbus that stands in front of the Italian American Heritage Center in Hamilton was defaced with graffiti sometime this weekend, police and officials said. Columbus' face was painted black, the number 13 was written on his chest and the letters "FU" were scrawled on the ground in front of the pedestal.

John Scarpati Sr., the longtime president of the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association, said he is stumped as to why anyone would damage the statue. "Whoever did this took their time in spraying the face, and the number 13 - I don't know what that meant," Scarpati said Tuesday.

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Source: http://www.nj.com/