Vandals caught on video smashing windows of parked cars while driving down Philadelphia street

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Residents in Philadelphia's Logan neighborhood are facing costly repairs after vandals smashed the windows of 16 parked vehicles, according to police.

The vandalism happened around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday on the 4800 block of North 12th Street.

Juanita Maxwell, a Logan resident, called the incident senseless.

"No normal-thinking person gets up and says ok let's smash some windows. Who thinks like that?" she said.

Police say surveillance video shows what may be a black Honda sedan slowly passing vehicles parked on the east side of the block.

A male passenger appears to lean out of the vehicle and smash windows one by one as the car moves down the street.

Chase Ly was shocked to see the crime play out on footage from his home security camera.

Two vehicles belonging to his family were among those damaged.

"Every single car that was on the side of the street that got hit. It was like bad," he said.

Ly said the vandalism appeared completely random.

"It made no sense because it was literally on a random Tuesday morning. No one does that," he said.

Residents awoke Tuesday to broken glass scattered along the street and uncertainty about whether their vehicles had been damaged.

Rhonda Wiggins, whose car was not damaged, said she was stunned when she saw the aftermath.

"I know I came running downstairs and I was in shock," she said. "There's no reason for nobody to do this."

Police say city cameras tracked the suspects' vehicle for about a half-mile before it disappeared. Investigators are using the video as evidence and hope it will help identify and arrest those responsible.

Beyond the damage, residents said they are concerned about the financial burden of replacing shattered windows.

"People around here work hard for what they have. You've got to pay $300-$400 for a window because somebody just felt like being destructive," Maxwell said.

Police said the suspects' vehicle was last seen in the 5000 block of Camac Street and may be a black Honda sedan.

Anyone with information is asked to leave an anonymous tip by calling Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS.

Maxwell said she hopes those responsible change their behavior.

"I just pray that the Lord will put some sense into their heads," she said.