Suspects caught on camera destroying Christmas inflatables in Scarborough

A display of inflatables that had taken years for a homeowner to build were destroyed in an instant after being slashed with hammers and knives.

A gaggle of Grinches stormed Scot Patriquin’s front lawn in Scarborough, Ont., earlier this week, leaving behind a literal display of a deflated sense of Christmas spirit.

Several masked vandals were caught on the doorbell camera early Sunday morning popping Patriquin’s Christmas inflatables that were on display in front of the home.

“People drive by, they stop their car, and they get out, take pictures, and I just assumed it was one of those. Suddenly, my son, you know, shouts that, ‘No, they’re popping the inflatables,’” Patriquin recounted to CTV News Toronto.

One suspect appeared to have been armed with a hammer.

The vandalism occurred hours after Patriquin put the finishing touches on the family’s inflatable display, which has been a tradition for nearly a decade.

“When we came outside, we saw that they had catastrophically destroyed every single one of the inflatables,” said Patriquin, who was left angry and devastated following the incident.

“Really just at a complete loss of understanding as to why anyone would do this.”

The inflatables include the typical cast of Christmas characters: a 20-foot Santa, Rudolph and Frosty. It’s a display that Patriquin described as a labour of love for his family and community, as he said it took him 25 to 30 hours to set it up.

“Let’s make it awesome, and let’s give all the kids in the neighbourhood something to come to,” he said. “They took away something that represented a neighbourhood tradition.”

One of his neighbours said the community was sad and devastated to learn about what happened.

Patriquin, not deterred by the incident, said he will try to put up another display.

“We’re going to see if we can get it up and get it together. Most of these are beyond repair,” Patriquin said.

“We can’t let people who are trying to like destroy joy. We can’t let them win.”

A local retailer has offered to replace the destroyed inflatables.

Toronto police have not released any details about the incident but told CTV News Toronto the suspects would face mischief charges if caught.

With files from Alex Arsenych