A squirrel is found guilty of trying to ruin Christmas.

Police in New Jersey, US, have charged a squirrel with criminal mischief after it was found to have damaged a popular Christmas lights display.

Police files show that the squirrel had been nibbling through wiring that powered the town’s famous Christmas lights display. This caused several lights to not work.

Local vandals were first suspected, but under closer inspection of the CCTV footage, it became clear that the crime was the work of a maverick squirrel.

The authorities have not yet been able to apprehend the squirrel, but they said in a press release that they are monitoring the lights closely to prevent any further vandalism taking place.