Video shows teens vandalizing homes in Philly's Somerton section

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Some neighbors in Philadelphia's Somerton section say teenagers have been vandalizing their properties recently, and home surveillance cameras have captured footage of some of the incidents.

Residents on the 1300 block of Proctor Road tell Action News the teenagers have been caught ringing their doorbells and then immediately leaving so no one is there to answer. Some neighbors said they've had tennis balls and eggs thrown at their windows, and a surveillance camera caught a teen urinating on one resident's front lawn.

Neighbors said the vandalism usually starts around 9 o'clock at night.

Jerry Connors said he's watching his surveillance cameras at night to see when the teens will be back. Just last night he says he saw a group of close to a dozen teens walking though his front lawn, and one of the teens threw a cup at his car.

"He took an empty Styrofoam soda cup, and just wound up and threw it at the back of the car," said Connors.

Connors said it's been happening ever since the weather got nice.

"It's not high crime, but it's an aggravation," said Connors.

Connors' surveillance camera caught a teen urinating in his front lawn in April. Around mid-June his camera showed a teen trying to open one of his car doors, and then it looks like the teens move on to the next home.

"Others in the neighborhood have had incidents where they've thrown tennis balls, or ding dong ditch," said Connors.

Connors said the teens are traveling in packs of about ten or more, egging the neighborhood every couple of nights.

Down the street from the Connors' residence is where John Smith lives. Smith had egg shells scattered over his window sills outside, and on his roof shingles.

"I run to the window and there's like twenty kids," said Smith.

Further down the neighborhood lives Elizabeth Michener, who had to scrub egg yokes off her front window about two weeks ago.

"I don't want my house vandalized. It could go from egg throwing to probably, I could leave the garage door open and just walk away and someone's in my home now," said Michener.

Neighbors said they are concerned this could escalate.

"If they could hit the house with an egg, they could hit the house with a stone," said Smith.

"If my kids were doing it, they'd be in trouble," said Connors.

Neighbors say they've filed police reports and some neighbors Action News spoke with said they'll be forming a neighborhood watch group now.