Rancho Bernardo

The parent company of Jack-In-The-Box restaurants said Wednesday that the corporation will donate $5,000 to replace a cross on a Rancho Bernardo mountaintop that was destroyed by vandals.

Durwin Long, a spokesman for Foodmaker Inc., said the donation will be made in the name of Jack Goodall, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego-based company. Long said Goodall, a Fairbanks Ranch resident who is active in local Christian organizations, was upset when he heard that the cross on Battle Mountain had been sawed down by vandals Monday.

“He was saddened by the reports of vandalism and wanted to make a statement of community good citizenship,” Long said. “Jack-In-The-Box has been an important company in the San Diego area for a number of years, and this is one way that we can meet a need.”

The vandals apparently used a chain saw to topple the 24-foot-high cross, which was erected in March by residents who had raised $5,000 to replace another cross that blew down during a January storm. A San Diego police spokesman said there are no suspects.