Antisemitic flyers were distributed in an Orillia neighbourhood late Saturday night and into the pre-dawn hours Sunday by a lone masked man, say residents.

Printed papers containing blasphemous messages around the Jewish faith and packaged in plastic bags with bird seed in them — in an apparent effort to weigh them down — were put on car windshields, in driveways and at the entrances of multi-unit buildings in the Cindy Lee Crescent and Rachael Road area.

A witness, who asked that his name be withheld for concern over his safety, said he saw a man, dressed all in black and wearing a black mask, dropping off the baggies just after midnight.

“I was just standing outside gazing … and I see this person walking by our street. He turns around and walks back … he drops off an item and another one close to where I was standing.

“I said, ‘Hey man, what are you doing dropping things so late at night?’ He said, ‘information’ and I said, ‘What information?’ and he wouldn’t tell me what it was and just walked away. He was dressed all in black with a mask and a green bag.”

The man immediately called 911. Orillia OPP officers responded and attempted to find the masked man.

“A neighbour of mine who walks his dog early in the morning said he saw some of them (baggies) on cars in the neighbourhood,” said the witness.

In his report to police, the witness explained what was dropped off.

“It was a small Ziplock pack with a flyer inside and what appeared to be bird seeds inside. The flyers were antisemitic with information identifying Jewish people and connecting them to what appears to be conspiracy theories and other accusations.”

The witness said he went back into his home and got chop sticks and a grocery bag, so he could pick up the items in case police wanted to check them for fingerprints.

“I believe this constitutes a hate crime,” said the witness.

Orillia OPP confirmed they investigated the incident and said the investigation is ongoing.

“The publications are being left on lawns, driveways, and windshields – we encourage any individual who may have information related to this occurrence to contact the OPP and reference incident #E260668976,” Orillia OPP Sgt. Matt Stoner told OrilliaMatters Tuesday.

“Messaging was derogatory and profanity directed towards the Jewish community, but it does not meet the criminal definition of hate speech,” Stoner said.

People are encouraged to report suspicious or unlawful activity to the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.crimestopperssdm.com.