A New York City newspaper says it received an anonymous call from a person claiming to have discarded spoiled bacon in a park where Muslims had scheduled Ramadan prayers.

The caller said he was putting it out for seagulls and raccoons to eat, not as an anti-Muslim statement.

The Staten Island Advance ( http://bit.ly/O3kqjw) said the message was left Tuesday on a reporter's voicemail.

The caller said "It was not any ... anti-Muslim act, and I did not want to offend anybody."

The NYPD is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. It was informed of the call but declined to discuss it.

Three packages of bacon were found Sunday in a section of the New Dorp Beach park.

Muslims are barred from eating pork because pigs are considered unclean.