Officers arrested three New York teenagers for allegedly killing and eating a small town’s beloved swan, according to CNY Central.

The swan, Faye, was allegedly killed while nesting on Monday when three teenagers jumped over the pond’s fence and mistook it for a large duck to hunt, according to CNY Central.

“They did not know that it was a swan, and they did not know that it was not a wild animal, that it was actually owned by the Village of Manlius,” Manlius Police Sgt. Ken Hatter explained, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Group Of Swans Successfully Fight And Scare Off Bald Eagle Hunting Them)

The group of teenagers reportedly brought the swan back home, where they allegedly cooked and ate it. They also allegedly took the swan’s cygnets to keep as domestic animals, according to CNY Central.

Breaking News: Three teens have been arrested for the killing of Manlius swan Faye. A source close to the investigation says the family ate the swan on Memorial Day. https://t.co/IXPKvlJjQW

— CNY Central (@CNYCentral) May 30, 2023

When asked if they knew the sentimental and symbolic value Faye had inside the community, Hatter replied that they were not aware of Faye’s importance, according to CNY Central. “I asked them specifically, the two juveniles, what they were going to do with the cygnets if they wanted to raise them ‘Were you going to raise them to later consume them?’ And they said, ‘No, we wanted to raise them.'”

Police officers followed a tip to Black Friday Bins in Shop City Plaza, where they found two of the suspects. The third suspect, Eman Hussan, was arrested at a different location, according to CNY Central. The three suspects are charged with grand larceny in the third degree and criminal mischief in the second degree, among other charges. Hussan’s court date is scheduled for June 15 at the Village of Manlius Court.

Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall said that the four-week-old cygnets are now under the responsibility of the biologist who takes care of the community’s swans, according to CNY Central.

“The swans have been here since 1905. And so we care for them, maintain them, feed them, do everything and stuff,” Whorrall said, according to CNY Central. “They’ve been ours forever. And we will continue. The public needs to know that this is not ending. We will continue to have swans and hopefully, at some point get back to normal.”