Vehicles damaged in vandalism spree

LOWER PROVIDENCE, Pa. - June 9, 2009 - It happened overnight in Lower Providence, Pa.

"When the cops came, I said 'Senior prank?' and he said, 'More like senior felony," said Ronald Rowlands of Lower Providence.

Rowlands found divots on his car after vandals "keyed" it, and he was one of the lucky ones.

The overnight rampage ended when this roving band of thugs set fire to Mark Murray's truck.

By the time Murray and his family woke up, the flames had spread to the front of his home.

Fortunately, fire crews doused it before the whole house went up.

"The fire could have killed my kids. That's my thing, they set the house on fire, and that's the scariest thing of all," Murray said.

Investigators say that between 10:30 p.m. Monday and 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the vandals egged cars, slashed tires, and stole and smashed items from inside the vehicles.

They even released the parking brake inside one car, letting it coast onto the property across the street where it plowed into the neighbor's garage.

Mike Kempster spent his day repairing his vehicle's tires and cleaning out the interior which was completely trashed.

"Basically the whole street. Everone's had to take a day off work," Kempster said.

The people behind the vandalism spree face charges including theft, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, risking a catastrophe and arson, which is a felony charge.

That's why the local police strongly suggest that the vandals surrender before they are caught.

"If you're the person who comes in first, chances are you're the person who's going to have the smoothest ride through the system," said Chief Francis Carroll of the Lower Providence Police.

Investigators say they've added extra patrols in hopes of preventing more incidents.

A $1,000 reward has been posted in this case.

If you have any information on this case, you are asked to call police at (610) 539-5900

Follow Action News on Twitter

Get Action News on your website

Follow Action News on Facebook

Click here to get the latest Philadelphia news and headlines from across the Delaware and Lehigh valleys.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.