San Jose vandal who destroyed freshly planted trees arrested

( KRON ) — This May, the mayor of San Jose spent a day digging dirt and planting trees for the Calle Willow community.

Mayor Matt Mahan wrote on his Instagram page , “Calle Willow is 29 trees greener this morning! The neighbors here raised concerns about high summer temperatures impacting their day-to-day lives. We planted some trees that will provide much needed natural cover and make our city a more beautiful place to live!”

Just eight days after the mayor’s tree planting community event, a vandal inexplicably attacked the trees, ripping out some and damaging others. The vandal targeted 26 of the 29 freshly planted trees on the morning of May 17, police said.

San Jose Police Department officers investigated the destruction along Willow Street, obtained surveillance video footage, and identified a man as the prime suspect.

On Wednesday night, an officer was patrolling around Calle Willow when the officer spotted the wanted vandal. The officer took the man into custody and booked him into jail for damaging the trees, SJPD said.

Police did not release the alleged tree vandal’s name.

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