Halloween decorations vandalized over the weekend in Kitchener

A home in the Doon South area of Kitchener has been the target of vandals after several Halloween decorations were damaged over the weekend.

Stephanie Machado, who owns the decorations, said a 12-foot skeleton was among those damaged by a group of teenagers around 1 a.m. on Saturday. She said they were “strung through the streets” and on her lawn and had firecrackers thrown at her porch.

She has never had her decorations targeted before and a lot of them are now ruined.

“It’s not just about the decorations, it’s about the children,” said Machado. She added her son had been “begging” for the skeleton for a long time and was “devastated” after it was damaged.

“Homes that do decorate to this extent normally do have children that are quite in love with Halloween. This isn’t just a silly prank to them, it’s actually quite hurtful.”

Machado said her home was the third one targeted, with at least one house targeted the next day. She said she still plans to put out more decorations for Halloween next week despite the vandalism.

In a statement, regional police said they are “aware of an incident occurring October 19 to a residence on Thomas Slee Drive in Kitchener. The investigation remains ongoing and we ask anyone with information, or if they witness anything similar, to please contact police.”