Burlington Police have arrested a man they believe shattered Mayor Miro Weinberger’s car windshield and two City Hall windows on Tuesday afternoon.
Patrick Cristaldi pleaded not guilty to two unlawful mischief charges, both misdemeanors, during an arraignment in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday morning. He was released to await a future hearing and ordered by the court to stay 300 feet away from City Hall.
According to a police affidavit written by Officer Julian Gonzalez, Cristaldi allegedly smashed the windshield of Weinberger’s 2020 Tesla Model 3 sedan with a rock while the car was parked in the mayor’s reserved parking spot at City Hall Park. Cristaldi then allegedly threw two bricks through the windows of Contois Auditorium, police said.
The damage to Weinberger’s car is estimated at more than $1,000 and the broken City Hall windows are expected to cost the city $400, according to the affidavit.
Twenty minutes prior to the vandalism, Cristaldi was cited for trespassing in City Hall for “disruptive behavior,” according to police.
It’s not clear whether Weinberger’s car was targeted. According to Gonzalez’s affidavit, Cristaldi told Burlington Police Officer Joseph Congdon at the scene that he felt better after the vandalism. “You know when you reach your snapping point in life?” Cristaldi said, according to the affidavit.
Gonzalez wrote that Cristaldi told Congdon he had been “fucked over” by the state as a kid. When Congdon asked Cristaldi if he thought Weinberger or those in City Hall were responsible for his circumstances, Cristaldi said it didn’t matter and that he was “sure they were involved.” Cristaldi said he did not want to hurt anyone, only that it “felt great” to break property.
Cristaldi has previously been convicted of three assault charges, according to Burlington Police.
Samantha Sheehan, Weinberger’s spokesperson, said in an email to VTDigger that the mayor commends public safety personnel “who were responsive, professional, and effective in their work.”
She said Weinberger “remains dedicated to continuing to expand needed public safety resources in Burlington, including police, mental health, social, and substance use services.”
