Police investigating smashed windows at Valley Road businesses
Police are investigating after at least two Valley Road businesses found their windows smashed last weekend.
According to the Montclair Police Department, the front windows at Ashtanga Yoga and the Sunshine Sam toy store were found smashed on April 22.
Deb Williams, the owner of Ashtanga Yoga, said that the Montclair Fire Department did a good job sealing the window, and that classes were able to continue uninterrupted. “Yoga started at 8 a.m. the next morning,” she said. Nothing was stolen from the building, and none of the statues in the practice room were broken. “I have nothing to say, really, except that it’s unfortunate, and that it was probably a random act,” Williams said.
Sunshine Sam was closed on Tuesday pending the repair of the windows.
“We’ve been in business for a while, but we’re approaching our one-year anniversary here in Montclair,” Marlene Lewis, the store’s owner, said Tuesday. She said the community had been generous in its show of support for the store in the days following the incident, with phone calls and messages on the shop’s Facebook page.
“We’re a little shaken up. Luckily it happened at night, and not when any kids were there and when our staff was there,” Lewis said. The window was going to be repaired the next day, she said, but for a small business, having to close for a few days represents the loss of several thousand dollars. “Literally and figuratively, it’s a big hit.”
She said that the shop’s goal was to be a warm and welcoming place for everyone, and she noted that the front window has a set of giant letters spelling out “LOVE.”
“For the person who did it, next time they should just come by during business hours and use the door.”
According to police, the suspect in the incident is described as a white or Hispanic male, between 20 and 30 years old, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, and of medium build with dark hair. At the time of the incidents, the suspect was described as wearing a white, long-sleeved T-shirt and black pants and carrying a black backpack.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Montclair Police Department at 973-744-1234. To report ongoing criminal or suspicious activity, or in an emergency, residents are urged to call 911.