A business in downtown Fredericksburg was discovered vandalized early Tuesday morning, according to its owner.
Chef Jannec Hornig, owner of The Alpine Restaurant, tells hyperbole that the restaurant’s Halloween decorations were smashed and damaged sometime overnight on Monday evening.
Hornig says the vandalism, which he estimates took approximately an hour to complete, consists of discarded flowers and plants, cut light cords, a mystery liquid smeared on the doors and back windows, as well as smashed and broken natural and plastic pumpkins, including the restaurant’s custom decoration bearing its name.
The business has a camera system, however Hornig says that the perpetrators were able to stay out of frame, while other areas of the exterior were too dark to be captured on video.
The following images of the damage were provided to hyperbole by Hornig, who was able to clean up the premises with the help of an employee later Tuesday morning. According to Hornig, he’s aware of nobody that’s aggrieved that would want to harm or damage the business.
Hornig says he’s filed a report with the Fredericksburg Police Department, which is currently investigating the incident. It would be the second act of vandalism in the previous week, following a mystery substance that was smeared on top of the Renwick Courthouse.
The City of Fredericksburg could not immediately be reached for comment.
Update (10/30/25 at 11:10 AM): A suspect is being sought in Tuesday morning’s vandalism at the Alpine Chef Restaurant, according to the restaurant’s owner.
Chef Jannec Hornig tells hyperbole that a nearby delivery driver spotted the perpetrator while they were damage the Halloween decor outside the business early Tuesday morning. According to Hornig, that driver filed a report with law enforcement before the scene was discovered later that day.
Hornig says police reviewed footage from areas surrounding the restaurant and were able to identify an adult male in a wheel chair they believe is responsible for the damage. An individual matching that description was at the restaurant briefly on Sunday morning but left after declining to order, Hornig says.
