MAPLEWOOD, Mo. — A man was charged Friday in connection to two separate antisemitic incidents that police said targeted a Jewish family in Maplewood. Police are still seeking information on two additional thefts targeting the family in the past week.
According to the Maplewood Police Department, 39-year-old Matthew Pisoni has been charged with two counts of stealing and one count of harassment. Each charge is a Class A misdemeanor.
In a Friday post on Facebook, the department said it has received four reports over the last week from the family regarding property damage and thefts at their home. Police said Pisoni trespassed and stole from the family two times on March 7 and 14. Another suspect did the same on March 8 and 11.
According to a press release, on March 7, at about 1 a.m., Pisoni trespassed onto the property and stole a Flag of Israel from their yard.
The next day, on March 8, at about 6:45 that evening, another person trespassed and stole a banner from the home's front porch and made an offensive gesture toward the home's surveillance camera. Then, on March 11, at about 1:30 a.m., a person trespassed onto the family's property, snatched a new flag from the home and ran back to an awaiting SUV. They have not been identified as of yet.
Three days later, on March 14, at 12:50 a.m., police said Pisoni went back onto the family's property and stole yet another flag. He was arrested in Richmond Heights later that day.
Police also later found the flag and pole in Pisoni's trash can at his home, according to a probable cause statement.
The department said it is continuing to investigate the other two incidents from March 8 and 11. If anyone has information regarding the incidents, call Lt. Kerry Daniels at 314-646-3617 or the department at 314-781-3733. All caller tips are anonymous.
