Firefighters initially thought they were dealing with a trash fire early Sunday morning on the front lawn of a Staten Island residence.
The homeowner set them straight. The flaming mass was "Patriotic Lawn T," a statue created several months ago by artist Scott LoBaido as a 12-foot-high tribute to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, he explained.
“I am angered and sad that a depraved individual, who clearly has no respect for the rights of others, set the sign aflame in the middle of the night while the family who owns it lay sleeping in their home only feet away from the fire, LoBaido said through his publicist.
Firefighters responded to the fire at 1:16 a.m. Fire marshals are investigating it as a possible arson.
The red, white and blue "T" was displayed in front of a home owned by Sam Pirozzolo in the Castleton Corners neighborhood.
"It's a T for Trump, but you know, it also stand for tolerance," Pirozzolo told NBC 4 New York. "It stands for think about the situation we're in."
LoBaido pledges to erect a larger "T" at the same location.
