LI Trump Supporter's Home Vandalized 5th Time

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Vandals continue to harass a Port Washington family's home, where a supporter of President Donald Trump has tried to display Trump flags and yard signs only to see them stolen. Last month, Uri Bloch told Patch he was forced to install surveillance cameras after vandals repeatedly came onto his Manorhaven property on Sands Point Road and, over multiple days, moved and eventually stole two of his Trump lawn signs. Rather than buy a third, he bought a large "Trump 2020" flag and nailed it above his porch. He issued a warning to thieves, saying if they returned they'd be caught on camera.

On Thursday, Bloch told Patch he's since received private messages and letters both supporting him and threatening him. Even more concerning, vandals returned. Multiple times.

Bloch and his family were celebrating Hanukkah dinner last month when they heard a commotion at the upstairs door, where the Trump flag hangs. They rushed upstairs and found someone had ripped the flag.

"We saw the flag got taken down and it was torn," Bloch said. "It was in tatters. Someone tore it up and drove off."

They also saw a car speed off, but weren't certain it was the vandals. Analyzing the latest brazen act of vandalism, Bloch figured the culprits probably didn't need a ladder to reach the flag. It required one to hang, but it stretches low enough that a well-timed jumper could snatch the flag and rip it down.

Bloch decided to order another flag and rehang it New Year's Day, this time even higher so it'd be out of reach to potential jumpers on the ground. He also bought two additional surveillance cameras and installed them so they'd be highly visible.

Once again, he issued a stern warning to neighbors and passerby thinking of coming onto his property.

"I posted a Facebook message to everyone letting them know my flag again got taken down and that there are no more chances," he said.

Bloch told them it was a final warning. If the flag was vandalized again, he'd call police. Just nine hours after reinstalling the new flag, he heard another commotion at the upstairs door. His phone alerted him of movement and the home's security alarm triggered.

"I go upstairs and see three individuals running," he said.

Nassau County police officers arrived and reviewed the surveillance footage, which shows two individuals jump and tear down the flag. They, along with a third individual, then run off.

"When the alarm sounded, I think they got scared and dropped the flag," Bloch said, describing it as tattered.

Police confirmed to Patch on Friday they were called around 9:15 p.m. on New Year's Day. Officers responded to the home, though no police report was filed. The alarm company indicated it was a false alarm.

Bloch noted the latest perpetrators are not the same as the person who tore down his first flag. He's also certain they saw the cameras and simply proceeded to damage his property anyway. The porch light was illuminated and two cameras were deliberately installed to be highly visible.

"I'm very surprised," he said about having vandals return. "[The cameras] were so obvious. When they go to the door they're going to see the cameras."

Bloch has reviewed the surveillance footage and said the vandals' faces appeared "very clear."

"We caught them dead on," he said, adding: "The footage is crystal clear."

Curiously, the vandals ignored a similar "Trump 2020" flag that was hanging on Bloch's fence line. After the latest incident, Bloch has no plans to back down. Quite the opposite.

He ordered nearly a dozen yard signs. And plans to use a ladder to install several of them high off the ground on an overhang.

"Once they come, the signs are going back up," he said.

Bloch stressed his goal isn't to ensnare vandals or antagonize his neighbors. He simply wants his flags and signs to be on his home. Furthermore, he noted everything started with a single, small yard sign that was thrown into a bush and eventually stolen. The flag was meant to make it harder for vandals to steal.

"It's my right to do," he said. "It's my freedom of expression."