While many people around the country are applauding health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic, some employees of a hospital in New York state didn’t feel the love Friday morning.
Staff at New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt, a town in Westchester County, completed an overnight shift Friday morning to find their car tires had been slashed, authorities said.
The tires of 22 vehicles were found cut in the hospital’s parking lot, and police have arrested a suspect in the incident.
New York State Police said in a statement they “received a complaint of criminal mischief” at around 7 a.m.
Authorities later arrested Daniel Hall, 29, for the crime.
Hall is at Westchester County Jail and faces charges of criminal mischief, auto stripping and possession of a controlled substance. Police said Hall had a small amount of phencyclidine (PCP) at the time of his arrest. He is due in court May 18.
The hospital told the The Journal News it would pay for the damages.
Before the tires were slashed, dozens of police officers and firefighters had gathered outside the hospital Thursday night to applaud the health care workers, the newspaper reported.
“We were shocked to hear of this incident, especially at this time when our employees are working tirelessly and courageously” through the pandemic, the hospital said in a statement, adding that it was focusing on “the beautiful tribute given by our first responders.”
