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Wilmington – Residents in several Claymont-Area neighborhoods are frustrated with vandals that have been shooting out windows and breaking into cars for over a week.
Beginning sometime before Wednesday, January 17, 2018, residents of the Holiday Hills, Kingsbridge, Radnor Woods, Ashbourne Hills, Westwood Manor and Gwinhurst neighborhoods have found that their vehicles have been broken into or damaged while they slept.
Police have indicated that multiple police reports have been filed, but it’s unclear what that exact number is. Many of the victims have been discussing the ongoing issues via social media. One resident of Holiday Hills, Amy McKinnon, said she thinks the number of incidents could be as high as 20, based on what she is hearing. Another resident that lives in the area said she estimated the number at 10 – 12, but that was just a guess.
On Wednesday, January 17, 2018, one of the victims posted a notice on Nextdoor that stated that the glass on the rear windows, on both of their cars, was broken out the previous Monday, which would have been January 15, 2018. County Councilman Bob Weiner responded to the post asking those affected to report the incidents to police.
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On that same day, New Castle County Police alerted Councilman Weiner via a Nextdoor post that they were aware of the issue and were investigating multiple instances of thefts from vehicles and criminal mischief.
Another woman that lives on Nassau Drive in Holiday Hills said her husband’s car window was shot out sometime between Monday night and early Tuesday morning, adding her neighbor’s car was damaged as well. The woman said the vandals returned this past Monday and shot out a third neighbor’s car window.
The woman’s Ring.com doorbell actually captured the sound of the Monday incident on Nassau Drive. She describes the sound as a gunshot sound. That incident occurred at approximately 10:45 pm.
She went on to say that “I have heard of many cars getting hit all over the place on the 15th into the 16th. I also heard of more getting hit on Tuesday and Thursday last week.” Then again on Nassau, among others, on Monday night, she added.
McKinnon said that the vandals hit all 3 of her cars in her driveway, a bay window and the lamp post in the yard. She said the vandals came back Monday night and got another car sitting in front of her house. “It has already cost me $1000 to have 4 car windows replaced”, adding that she hasn’t priced the bay windows or lamp post yet.
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A bulldozer doing work on Olympia Drive in Ashbourne Hills lost three windows when the vandals targeted it on Monday.
Both women said they are frustrated with the vandals and hope they are caught soon.
This morning New Castle County Police said that they are investigating multiple reports of damage to motor vehicles. The sound captured on the video sounds an awful lot like a firearm but New Castle County Police Spokesman, Master Corporal Michel Eckerd, said police have determined that all of the damage had been caused by a BB gun.
If you have any information pertaining to this investigation, please e-mail [email protected] or contact The New Castle County Police at (302) 573-2800.