Halloween is right around the corner, and a scary trend is popping up for one Queens resident: Her spooky decorations — a staple in the neighborhood — are being vandalized, with hundreds of dollars in damage reported so far.
Pranks around Halloween time are one thing, but what the owner of the home on Ditmars Boulevard has experienced is quite another. She said she's had enough, and is now thinking of getting the police involved.
The woman said she has caught vandals on her security camera repeatedly, seeing them steal from and tear apart her lavish display she put up this year. Those responsible have stripped the décor down to the bones (and not the scary skeleton kind either).
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"I mean I would understand if someone vandalized my stuff, I would probably call it quits right there. Can't blame her too much," said one person.
Videos from previous years shows that the display gets the whole neighborhood in the spooky spirit. Lines of people in years past, stretching around nearby 27th Street, have come to catch a view of the decorations that have become a destination known throughout the city.
The homeowner said she hasn't gone to the police — yet. But she says she might, despite believing that the NYPD has their hands full with other things these days.
The kind of show that she puts on doesn't come cheap, with some single items costing hundreds of dollars. But the money isn't the issue for the homeowner, who said she's glad to do it. It's just that the vandals have her beat this year, and said she's not putting up any more things.
"You can't take the subways, walks down the street, and now you can't put up Halloween decorations??" neighborhood resident Melina Juliano asked incredulously.
The tricks from a few bad apples ruining a special holiday treat for the rest of the community.
