A man has been arrested and accused of terrorizing two suburban Maryland neighborhoods by smashing windows and slashing car tires, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Nghia Le, 50, was taken into custody twice in August and again in September for the alleged spree.
According to police and reports, Le, while wearing a balaclava, hurled rocks and bricks through residents' windows and damaged vehicles. Surveillance footage reportedly captured some of the incidents.
Heather Roman-Stork, a resident whose home was repeatedly targeted, described her fear during the vandalism. "I thought I was going to die," she told ABC 7, recounting hiding with a softball bat while on the phone with 9-1-1. Her first-floor windows were shattered during the initial incident. After she boarded them up, Le allegedly returned and targeted the second-floor windows.
Multiple neighbors were also affected, with one home reportedly damaged three times. Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers stated that one resident had recently replaced all his windows, only for them to be damaged again.
Le was initially arrested on August 6 and again on August 28. He was charged with felony malicious destruction of property valued over $1,000 and subsequently posted bond. Following a September spree, he was arrested a third time and held without bond.
Roman-Stork expressed concerns about the escalating nature of the vandalism, noting, "I know it's just property damage, but it's just property damage until someone is unlucky enough to be in the line of fire of one of these rocks."