Stranger In Hazmat Suit Who Sprayed Merch At Bergen Florist Identified As NY State Resident

UPDATE: One person's prank is another's vandalism, as a New York State man learned when police in Glen Rock identified him as the stranger in a hazmat suit who sprayed plants and flowers at a local shop with an unknown substance.

Perry’s Florist & Gardens on Harristown Road in Glen Rock
Photo Credit: *GoogleMaps Street View / INSET: Boyd A. Loving*

Jerry DeMarco

02/24/2023 3:00 p.m.

Robert X. Houston, 22, of Middletown, claimed that he pulled the stunt at Perry’s Florist & Gardens on Harristown Road in January as part of an effort to establish himself as a YouTube personality, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.

Houston told police there were no chemicals or other substances in the hand-held sprayer, but Ackermann said more than $750 worth of merchandise at Perry's had to be tossed out of "an abundance of caution."

Detective Sgt. James Calaski identified Houston as the sprayer who fled in a Tesla with New York license plates -- along with someone who recorded the incident and a third member of the group -- after being confronted by the business owner, the chief said.

Houston surrendered himself to Calaski at Glen Rock police headquarters. He was charged with criminal mischief and released.

A Superior Court judge in Hackensack last week let Houston remain free, with conditions, pending a resolution of the charges. At the very least, he will likely be ordered to pay restitution.

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