Two of the vehicles struck overnight on East Bergen Place in Red Bank. The one below was parked on the street at the time it was attacked. (Click to enlarge)
[Editor’s note: See the update to this story added shortly after 2 pm Wednesday, January 18.]
By JOHN T. WARD
Motorists in two area towns awoke Wednesday to find windshields on their cars smashed.
Red Bank police say four or five cars parked on East Bergen Place were attacked, some with rocks, and others with unknown objects.
In Fair Haven, at least three vehicles had been reported vandalized, all on the west side near Red Bank, said Detective Jesse Dykstra.
“Why would they do this?” asked Luis Carchi, of East Bergen Place, whose wife’s Chevy Malibu had its windshield damaged, though police told her the car was drivable.
Among the vehicles hit was an SUV with a wheelchair in the back. The owner, who asked not to be named, said it appeared that the vandals may have attempted to remove the wheelchair, given the way the window’s frame was twisted.
One of the Red Bank cars had both its rear window smashed and windshield damaged, apparently by the same rock, its owner told redbankgreen.
Red Bank police Chief Steve McCarthy said nothing has yet been reported stolen, though police have not completed their investigation. “Sometimes, the owners don’t realize things are missing until later,” he said.
[Update: Fair Haven police now say four cars in that town were damaged in the spree. Here’s the full text of an announcement:
“On this date, four reports were received from Borough residents that windows on their vehicles were broken sometime overnight. Two residents from Cambridge Ave., one from Harvard Rd. and one from Fair Haven Rd. reported the damage. No reports have been received of any items that were taken from the vehicles. Details are limited at this time as the investigation is active and involves other, local jurisdictions with similar reports. Anyone with information or that may have heard or seen anything overnight, possibly pertaining to this case, is encouraged to contact the Fair Haven Police Department at (732)747-0991 or Det. Dykstra of the Fair Haven Police Department at (732)747-0241 Ext. 332.”]
