INDIANAPOLIS — An impressive Halloween display with a creepy carnival theme was all set up for a scary good time for trick or treaters in Irvington. But the owner, Chris Ray, has taken most of the decorations down after someone stole some of his animatronic figures.
Signs in Ray’s front yard call out the thief, who last week stole a Jack Skellington display that Ray loaned to his neighbor. A Beetlejuice figure, also on loan from Ray, was taken right off the front porch of another neighbor.
"It's ridiculous,” said Ray. “I don't know if you're selling it. I don't know if you're using it for personal display. But you're stealing toys ... essentially toys that I set out for children of the community to enjoy and interact with."
The thief also tried to steal clowns from the elaborate creepy carnival in Ray’s yard, but was unsuccessful. A 12-foot clown and most of the front yard display is now in safe storage until Oct. 31. Ray plans to set everything back up for trick-or-treaters.
Locked behind a fence, the backyard is filled with a variety of creepy animatronic characters Ray has collected over the years. He estimates he owns more than 50.
He’s using his collection to help three or four neighbors set up Halloween displays in their yards.
"I do it because, as a kid, I didn't have much money to decorate at Halloween, but saw all these elaborate displays,” he said, "and I always told myself I'm going to be the crazy guy that goes all out for Halloween when I grow up."
