Public’s help sought to identify man who vandalized journalist’s home in Melrose

Officials are seeking to identify the man pictured here in connection with an ongoing investigation into an incident where a brick was thrown into a window of a home on Lynn Fells Parkway in Melrose.Middlesex District Attorney's Office

Police are asking for help identifying a man who threw a brick into a window of a Melrose residence last Saturday, officials said.

Doorbell security video showed the man throwing a brick into a window at 10:30 a.m. and then fleeing the scene toward Lincoln Street, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said in a statement.

The message, “just the beginning” was also spray painted on the Lynn Fells Parkway home, where a reporter for a New Hampshire media outlet lives, the statement said.

The the suspect is described as a 5-foot-10 white man with a slender build. He was dressed in a light blue raincoat, khaki pants, black sneakers and a blue-green backpack, the office said.

The victim reported that she was targeted with vandalism five other times at three other residences connected to her in Concord, Hampstead and Hanover, New Hampshire, the statement said.

New Hampshire Public Radio said in a statement that the reporter works for their station, and other journalists and their families have also been targets of vandalism and threats in the last month.

“Violence against journalists has increased at an alarming rate, in America and around the world,” the statement said. “NHPR condemns attempts to intimidate or harm journalists, here in New Hampshire or anywhere else. Our reporters, producers and editors will not be intimidated in the pursuit of New Hampshire Public Radio’s public-service mission.”

One of the homes was that of her parents, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a news briefing, according to WCVB-TV.

“As part of the ongoing investigation into this matter police are looking at her recent work to determine if there is any connection with the incidents of vandalism,” the statement said.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact Melrose police at 781-665-1212.

The incident remains under investigation.