Bayside's Lion's Gate Vandal Is At It Again

One year and a week ago, the tearing up plants that had been planted by the village and lining them up, side by side, on the edge of the road. Early Friday morning, Bayside police patrolling in the area discovered that the historical Bayside landmark had been struck again. 

According to the report:

An officer was patrolling at 2:39 a.m. when he came through the intersection of Lake Drive and Fairy Chasm Road, at the Lion's Gates. He noticed several plants had been ripped from the ground and placed in the roadway. 

There were a total of 13 plants that had been removed; 11 of them were placed along the road heading east, side by side, while the other two were placed in the center of Lake Drive heading north, forming a T-shape. The plants were about two feet apart from one another and completely blocking the roadway. 

Officers removed the plants from the roadway and scouted for the bandit, but no one was found. 

The officer notes in his report he had passed through the same intersection about 1:30 a.m. and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, leaving him to believe the plants were removed sometime between 1:30 and 2:40 a.m. 

Village Manager Andy Pederson said he believes this was an attempt to have the plants destroyed. 

"Instead of putting them on the side of the road like last time, this time they put them in the middle of the road, creating a stop-bar across the road," Pederson said. "At 2 a.m., what else could you assume? There’s very striking similarities to what happened last time."

The plants were safely replanted and watered and Pederson said it doesn't look like there will be any long-term damage. 

Editor's Note: Patch would like to share with readers why the vandal is destroying these plants. Your name would be protected, we are just interested in understanding the reasoning behind these acts. If you are involved, please email the editor at sarah.worthman@patch.com.