Police in upstate New York charged three teens Tuesday with killing and eating a town-owned swan and kidnapping the dead bird’s four babies.

Manlius police said the teens — ages 16, 17 and 18 — hopped the fence at the Manlius Swan Pond around 3 a.m. Saturday and went on to hold down Faye, the swan, and kill her. She was later cooked and eaten by the teens, who told police they were out hunting.

“The mother swan was consumed,” Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall said at a press conference Wednesday. “Sad to say, but that’s what they did.”

Police said they were told about the four missing baby swans, or cygnets, when a citizen saw two of them at a store in the nearby town of Salina. A teen worker at the store confessed to kidnapping the cygnets. The other two swans were found at the Syracuse home of one of the suspects. 

The three teens were charged with grand larceny and criminal mischief, according to police.

Eman Hussan, the 18-year-old charged, was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. He’s scheduled back in court June 15.

Mr. Hussan does have a hunting license, which is being looked into by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

Manlius, a town of 4,600 that lies just southeast of Syracuse, has made its swan husbandry part of the village’s identity for more than 100 years.

Faye and her mate, Manny, were donated to Manlius in 2010.

The cygnets will return to the pond in a few weeks when they are old enough to survive on their own, police said. Since swans mate for life, Manny is being removed from the pond to avoid becoming combative.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.