A resident in Scarborough was left shocked when individuals wearing masks and armed with hammers vandalized a collection of large Christmas inflatables on his property over the weekend. Scot Patriquin, a Guildwood resident and father of three, mentioned that his family had recently completed setting up the display, which featured popular characters like Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Abominable Snowman, and a nativity scene. This involved securing the inflatables to the ground.
Patriquin has been setting up this display annually for nearly ten years, attracting passersby who would stop to admire and take pictures with it. However, at 2 a.m. on Sunday, a car pulled up in front of his home, where Patriquin and his son were watching TV. Initially, they assumed it was just spectators, but soon realized the individuals were damaging the inflatables.
One of the vandals even approached the front door, as captured by a doorbell camera video shown to CBC Toronto. Patriquin described how the vandal aggressively used a hammer to destroy each inflatable, including two that were hanging off the roof. The display had become a symbol of pride and community spirit for the neighborhood, earning Patriquin’s house the title of “the house with the inflatables.”
The incident was reported to the Toronto police, although no suspect information is currently available. In addition to the Christmas display, the vandals were accused of damaging a vehicle in the area and attempting to steal another. Neighbors shared security camera footage to identify the suspect vehicle and its route, which will be shared with the authorities.
Patriquin referred to the vandals as “car thieves with a dislike for Christmas” and expressed sadness over the incident. A local business has offered to help replace the damaged display, prompting Patriquin to decide to recreate it. Despite the setback, he emphasized not letting the criminals win and highlighted the outpouring of support and goodwill from the community, showcasing the true Christmas spirit.