Upper East Side home of attorney for residents against Lucerne homeless vandalized
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are searching for a group of people caught on camera vandalizing the home of an attorney on the Upper East Side.
Images show the suspect riding up to the home on East 83rd Street and dismounting from bicycles last month.
It happened on October 21 at around 1 a.m.
Police say the suspects then scrawled derogatory graffiti messages on the sidewalk.
Red paint and eggs were thrown on the front door, and outside the home.
The front door locks were also damaged with glue.
The vandalism appeared to be tied to attorney Randy Mastro's representation of Upper West Side residents who want homeless men removed from the Lucerne Hotel.
He had spoken out on behalf of the West Side Community Organization.
Mastro released a statement on the vandalism saying, "This is a very sad day to see a genuine debate about serious issues involving the homeless devolve into vandalism targeting my family's home. The persons who did this are criminals who should be brought to justice. And if they thought they were going to intimidate me, they picked the wrong guy. I will continue to be a passionate advocate against housing homeless adults in SRO hotels where they don't get the services they need. This vulnerable population requires housing in proper shelters with full services. The City says it is committed to doing just that, and I will continue to advocate for it because that is the right and humane thing to do."
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
