Thieves wreak havoc on Halloween displays in Irvington

IRVINGTON— Thieves are putting a damper on the Halloween festivities in Irvington.

Halloween displays can be found all over Irvington, neighbors say they do it for the kids.

Not one, but two different displays have been targeted by thieves.

Chris Ray is the owner of the infamous 'clown house.' He has spent hundreds of dollars decorating his home for the holiday.

His home is on South Webster in Irvington his yard was fully decorated in a carnival theme filled with clowns.

"I kind of went all out I had a 12-foot clown, a pop-up stand, cotton candy machine, popcorn machine, all animatronics and crazy," Ray said.

Not only did he decorate his yard, but he also decorated his neighbor's too.

"When I was a kid I always loved spooky stuff, and I still do and I still do love spooky stuff. Just something I've always wanted to do," Ray said.

Several of his displays are made from scratch, but he has had to take them all down.

"I do this for the community. For someone to blatantly disrespect, the holiday and ruin it for everyone," Ray said. "They started trying to pull the clowns out of my yard so everything had to come down."

Someone stole his Jack Skellignton and Beetlejuice animatronics he had placed in neighbors' yards.

They also tried to steal the clowns out of his yard but weren't successful because it was chained down.

The act of violence has forced him to take his entire display down.

He has since replaced it with a message to the person responsible.

He has several handmade signs asking for the stolen props to be returned.

Ray is hopeful that he can put some of his display back up on Halloween night if the weather permits.

Ray's props aren't the only thing that was stolen in Irvington.

At Magick Candle, money was stolen from an altar for Dana Muerte.

"An altar to her is just a giving and offering. She is the protector, the healer, and also the safe delivery into the afterlife," Michelle Roberts the owner of Magick Candle said.

Roberts said Saturday three kids came into the store and stole about $30 from the altar.

"At an altar, if it is not yours and that is a jar of money that you see sitting there for a reason it is not yours to take," Roberts said. "So taking from a deity whether it is God or it is Santa Muerte is asking for bad luck."

The Irvington Halloween Festival is going on now through Oct. 29. To see a full schedule of events and learn more, click here.

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