Long Island business owners say vandal with anti-Putin messages is mistakenly targeting their building

SEA CLIFF, N.Y. — The war in Ukraine and anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin is being performed out on the North Shore of Nassau County.

Homeowners of a nearby family business who are sympathetic to Ukrainians tell CBS2’s Jennifer McLogan they are remaining wrongly focused as Russian oligarchs.

“We just want it to halt,” Phillip Stehling claimed.

Phillip and Catherine Stehling and their colleagues at their Sea Cliff construction firm, say law enforcement, are victims of mistaken identification.

“We are not Russian. We have almost nothing to do with Putin. We do not help him by any implies,” Phillip Stehling reported.

A vandal, continue to on the unfastened, evidently believes their developing on Primary Street is owned by a Russian oligarch and has been defacing the home right away for months, spray-portray anti-Putin slogans with the name and address of a man he is concentrating on.

“We by no means knew the Russian individual that he spelled out existed. It really is sort of unnerving for the reason that we have lived in this city for 18 years,” Catherine Stehling claimed.

Their design agency moved into the developing a yr in the past.

“The deal with he thinks is the Russian is actually the former proprietor of this constructing, but that particular person is not Russian and so it truly is just misinformation,” Phillip Stehling said.

The vandal has triggered $6,000 in damage so considerably to the stucco walls.

Russian Us residents and Ukrainian Us citizens coexist peacefully in North Shore communities on Extended Island.

Close by in Glen Cove, some want the Russian estate Killenworth shut. Currently, the Russian mansion has diplomatic immunity, which stops it from staying entered or searched, and is exempt from home taxation.

“Given that the conflict commenced, we have beefed up patrols in and close to the embassy. We experienced some tranquil protests that occurred outside the house the gates,” mentioned Det. Lt. John Nagle, with the Glen Cove Police Department.

Back again in 2016, former president Obama shut the Russian compound Norwich Dwelling, which is 5 miles absent in Upper Brookville.

“It truly is unfortunate simply because we’re sympathetic with scenario that is heading on in Ukraine. There are so quite a few far better methods of seeking to categorical whatever you are emotion,” Sea Cliff business co-proprietor Joe Gudino stated.

“We are concerned for our security, our employees’ basic safety, our family,” Phillip Stehling explained.

The Stehlings are hoping to get the message to the vandal — he’s targeting the wrong individual, urging him to change his protest to a peaceful a person.