BOWIE, Md. — 'Twas the day after Christmas, and while Bowie neighbors were sleeping ... police said a group of kids tore down decorations they intended on keeping.
On Jeff Kerns' lawn, there arose such a clatter, he sprang out of his bed to see what was the matter.
"About 1:46 (a.m.), I heard a bang out here…and saw all my decorations destroyed and a car driving down the street," Kerns said, who has lived in his house on Majestic Lane since 1991. "I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. I was like holy cow!"
He saw ballerinas bent and a Santa knocked down. Some wreaths had been kicked, and Frosty stopped dancing around.
"It’s not fun and games. It’s a lot of money," Kerns said. "It’s probably three grand worth of stuff with time and effort that’s probably destroyed now that we have to replace now."
Who were the Grinches who caused such a stir? Bowie police said they believe it's kids they're looking for.
Police said Kerns is one of six neighbors in Bowie whose homes were vandalized in the early hours of Thursday morning. The department shared video from a neighbor on Westwind Drive who captured video of the suspects less than an hour after they some had hit Jeff's house.
Here are the other houses that reported destroyed decorations:
- 2 incidents in the 7100 block of Westwind Drive
- 1 incident in the 13200 block of Ovalstone Lane
- 1 incident in the 12100 block of Rockledge Drive
- 1 incident in the 12100 of Whitehall Drive
- 1 incident in the 3500 block of Majestic Lane
Police said the homes that were targeted had won awards in the Bowie's annual decorating contest ... like Kerns' family had.
“It meant a lot especially to my wife," Kerns said. "We put a lot of effort in this to represent her sister that had passed away a couple years ago, so it meant a lot to her, so she was pretty upset when I called her."
Kerns said his wife's sister had passed away from cancer a few years ago, so they made it their goal to one-up their decorations for her year by year.
He said as they get ready to put the decorations away, all they can do is continue to share the surveillance footage in the hopes that someone will recognize the Grinches.
If you have any information on the suspects, Bowie police urge you to contact them at 240-544-5700 or use their anonymous tip line: 240-554-5770.