WESTFIELD – A city detective is seeking victims – and witnesses – of a recent vandalism spree in the city which left at least six vehicles with two flat tires.
Police report that a resident called police at 10:23 p.m. on Jan. 15 to report that two tires on his 2007 Hyundai Sana Fe were slashed while it was parked at a Springfield Road department store and the next day five more residents reported that tires on their parked vehicles were also punctured overnight.
The additional vandalism was reported on Cardinal Lane, Main Street, Plantation Circle, Westfield High School on Montgomery Road and Barrister Circle. One of the vehicles was also reportedly keyed and, in one case, an unlocked vehicle was apparently entered and a wallet may have been stolen.
Det. Daniel Gustafson was assigned to investigate the case and said in a recent interview that the incidents “seem to have a common denominator” and said that he hopes his detailed examination of security video from some of the incidents will yield additional connections to investigate.
He said that although the locations of the incidents are scattered throughout the city there appear to be similarities linking the owners who all appear to be young men.
“The majority of the victims seem to be familiar with each other” and said that his investigation is considering the possibility that the owners were specifically targeted.
He suggested that, in the cases in which there is no connection between the owners, the vehicles vandalized may be similar to vehicles owned by other young men with connections to the other victims.
Gustafson said that his investigation suggests that there may be at least one more similar incident which has not been reported to police and he would like to hear from all the recent victims of tire slashing vandalism.
Of course, Gustafson said that he would also like to hear from anybody who may have observed any of the incidents or who may otherwise be knowledgeable about the vandalism spree he is investigating.
Gustafson may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling him at the detective bureau at 642-9386 or 572-6400.
