A rash of vandalism involving homes decorated for Halloween in Parma has landed three teens in trouble.
Since last week, Parma Police said they've taken at least seven calls related to vandalism of Halloween decorations set up outside of homes, ranging from smashed pumpkins to slashed inflatables.
Homeowners on Wolf Ave., Yorkshire Rd., Marlborough Ave., Maplecrest Ave., Theota Ave., Bradley Ave., Tuxedo Ave., and Brookview Blvd. reported damage.
On Thursday afternoon, Parma Police said they arrested two 15-year-old and a 13-year-old in connection with the incidents.
Police said it's unclear if the teens are involved with all of the incidents, but their cases are being forwarded to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court.
Tony Gonzalez lives on Maplecrest Avenue. The vandals damaged his display last week. It was upsetting to him and his family. He lives for Halloween.
"Just growing up, it was something I always got into — just dressing up for the holiday, the decorating (and) the trick or treating."
It's a passion he's passed down to his kids and shares with his neighborhood.
"I'm a huge Ghostbusters fan," Gonzalez said. "So that was where I really started."
Each year he adds new items to his yard. This year he was excited about a new pumpkin inflatable. He said he had it up for less than a week before it was slashed.
"We went out there, and sure enough, there was a big rip right through it," Gonzalez said.
He ended up buying a new one, which cost him an additional $150.
"Anybody who invests in this stuff knows it's not cheap," Gonzalez said. "I feel for the other people that have had more damage than us."
Jason Mazzaro lives on Brookview Boulevard. He told News 5's Damon Maloney that he's looking at a damage total of more than $1,000.
He shared home security footage showing vandals going inside a tent and one person breaking an arm of his grim skeleton animatronic. Mazzaro said a tent wall was slashed, a Pennywise balloon popped, and a Ring camera was broken, among other destruction.
Extra upsetting, he said, is that his display raises money for charity.
Gonzalez said the incidents are eye-opening and forced him to purchase additional security cameras. He said he's also not leaving the inflatables up through the night.
He said he'll be making tweaks to his yard decorations leading up to Halloween and looks forward to welcoming kids for trick-or-treating.
"The kids are just smiling, and you know that's part of why we do it," Gonzalez said.
