Man Accused Of Vandalizing American Flags In Bogota, New Jersey
BOGOTA, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A community in Bergen County, New Jersey came together to catch a man who allegedly vandalized American flags in their neighborhood.
The flag holder was empty at 68 East Broad Street in Bogota after a vandal struck in the middle of the night, cutting the family's American flag to shreds, CBS2's Meg Baker reported.
"We didn't know what to think, at first we thought it was just a silly prank," William Eichler said.
Eichler lives across the street, and the next day he noticed his sacred heart statue was missing.
A family on Linwood Avenue was also hit, but the bandit didn't realize that this time someone was watching.
"I looked at my surveillance camera and sure enough, you saw a man come up and he cut it about 12 times," Reinaldo Sanchez said.
His Halloween decorations were ruined on the night of October 21. Thanks to clear video, police were able to arrest and charge 21-year-old Christian Stephen Cartwright.
"The patrol officers caught him with a pair of scissors on him in his jacket," Detective Victor Negron said.
But there have been more than 16 instances reported, and now police are asking anyone with more video of the suspect to turn it in.
"I have my flag out here, so it is bothersome, being a veteran, that someone is attacking the flags," one veteran said.
"I take pride, I volunteer a lot in the town, and I try to do nice things, especially for the children," Sanchez said.
He goes all out for Halloween and Christmas, and he hopes Cartwright learned his lesson.
Cartwright was charged with criminal mischief. It's likely he will be asked to pay for the damaged flags, Baker reported.
