One of six holes in the window at Red Hen Baking in Middlesex from a BB-gun shot at the store. Photo by Lauren Milideo.
As the sun was setting on Thursday evening, Dec. 9, a customer walked along the front of the building at Camp Meade, a collection of businesses and a green space on Route 2 in Middlesex. Inside, the chairs were up on the tables as employees of Red Hen Baking went about their tasks under lowered lights, the business day over. When six small holes in the glass were pointed out to him, the customer was taken aback.
“Yeah, that’s bullshit,” he said. “Jesus.”
The shooting, which Red Hen co-owner Randy George said was from a BB gun, took place early on the morning of Dec. 3. Reached for comment, George called the incident “pretty minor” compared with other vandalism that has targeted the business in recent years.
“Four years ago, we had rocks thrown through the window,” damage that George said was “much more significant.” George also pointed to an arson attempt about seven years ago. At one point, delivery vehicle tires were slashed. None of the incidents made the local news, George said.
“This is, to me, like police report type of stuff,” he said.
George said a police report and insurance claim have been filed, and that while employees would have been inside at the time of the incident, they were likely in a different part of the building, and there were no injuries. He said BBs were found, and that they did not go all the way through the windows.
“It’s going to have to get fixed,” George said. “It’s a hassle.”
“I’m sorry to see that,” said the customer as he examined the windows.
