A man is facing multiple charges in connection with the vandalism of the “Bewitched” statue in Salem, Massachusetts, as the landmark was doused with red paint on Monday.Salem police told NewsCenter 5’s John Atwater that 32-year-old Kylynn Chambers, a homeless man living in Salem, was arrested on charges of defacing property, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The “Bewitched” statue, a 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture at the corner of Essex and Washington streets, pays tribute to the well-known 1960s television sitcom “Bewitched” and the filming of eight episodes for the show’s seventh season in Salem.The statue depicts Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played the lead character Samantha Stephens, riding a broomstick next to a crescent moon.Witnesses said they saw the “Bewitched” statue being defaced at about 5 p.m. Monday.”We smelled, actually, the paint in the air,” one witness said. “He was just standing here very nonchalantly with red paint just painting the statue.”Photos shared by one witness, Tim Keough, show part of the statue depicting Montgomery’s face and torso covered in red paint.”There was nothing written on it. There was no sign. He could have spray-painted something on the ground. None of that,” said Salem resident Jeffrey Lilley. “It was just from her waist up and her arms and her face.””She’s kind of become, you know, a signature statue in this town. So it’s sad. It’s random, but it’s got people talking about it,” said an employee of the Peabody Essex Museum. “So she’s going to get some more publicity.””This isn’t the first time that people were really upset about the statue,” said Beth Crowley of Witch City Walking Tours. “People believed that the ‘Samantha’ statue was actually making a joke of the Salem witch trials, which was a very somber time.”Crews power washed the “Bewitched” statue Monday night and were able to clean all the paint off of it, allowing tourists to take photos with it.There is no serious damage to the statue, but some of the patina — the finish over the statue’s surface that developed over time due to weather, stress and/or age — was washed off during the cleaning process.”Bewitched” aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 1964 to March 1972. The show is about a witch who marries an ordinary man and ties to lead a normal life.Montgomery earned five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations for her work on “Bewitched.” She died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 62.The “Bewitched” statue in Salem was unveiled in 2005.
A man is facing multiple charges in connection with the vandalism of the “Bewitched” statue in Salem, Massachusetts, as the landmark was doused with red paint on Monday.
Salem police told NewsCenter 5’s John Atwater that 32-year-old Kylynn Chambers, a homeless man living in Salem, was arrested on charges of defacing property, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
The “Bewitched” statue, a 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture at the corner of Essex and Washington streets, pays tribute to the well-known 1960s television sitcom “Bewitched” and the filming of eight episodes for the show’s seventh season in Salem.
The statue depicts Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played the lead character Samantha Stephens, riding a broomstick next to a crescent moon.
Witnesses said they saw the “Bewitched” statue being defaced at about 5 p.m. Monday.
“We smelled, actually, the paint in the air,” one witness said. “He was just standing here very nonchalantly with red paint just painting the statue.”
Photos shared by one witness, Tim Keough, show part of the statue depicting Montgomery’s face and torso covered in red paint.
“There was nothing written on it. There was no sign. He could have spray-painted something on the ground. None of that,” said Salem resident Jeffrey Lilley. “It was just from her waist up and her arms and her face.”
“She’s kind of become, you know, a signature statue in this town. So it’s sad. It’s random, but it’s got people talking about it,” said an employee of the Peabody Essex Museum. “So she’s going to get some more publicity.”
“This isn’t the first time that people were really upset about the statue,” said Beth Crowley of Witch City Walking Tours. “People believed that the ‘Samantha’ statue was actually making a joke of the Salem witch trials, which was a very somber time.”
Crews power washed the “Bewitched” statue Monday night and were able to clean all the paint off of it, allowing tourists to take photos with it.
There is no serious damage to the statue, but some of the patina — the finish over the statue’s surface that developed over time due to weather, stress and/or age — was washed off during the cleaning process.
“Bewitched” aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 1964 to March 1972. The show is about a witch who marries an ordinary man and ties to lead a normal life.
Montgomery earned five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations for her work on “Bewitched.” She died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 62.
The “Bewitched” statue in Salem was unveiled in 2005.
