Jul 27, 2016 2 min read

Residents of a Canonsburg neighborhood awoke Wednesday morning to discover vandals slashed tires on their vehicles overnight.

The telephone at the borough police station was ringing off the hook as residents of Hawthorne and Spruce streets, as well as Hutchinson Avenue, called to report the damage, said police Chief Al Coghill.

The vandalism spree likely started Sunday night or Monday morning. A resident of Spruce found the rear window of his vehicle was smashed while a resident of Belmont Avenue found the rear window was broken and all four tires were slashed on his vehicle.

A resident in the 300 block of Belmont called police about 2:55 a.m. Wednesday after he was awakened by a loud noise. He told police he looked out and saw a tall, white man standing behind the van that was damaged earlier in the week. The man ran up Belmont toward Spruce.

“We’ve had upward of 15 to people who have called to report damage,” Coghill said late Wednesday morning. “And we are still getting reports.”

“We’d really like residents who may have security systems with a camera to check and let us know if they have captured any suspicious activity,” Coghill added. “It is difficult to capture vandals because they hit at night and then head for cover if they see us coming.”

He said most vandalism happens between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Residents living in the area who have surveillance cameras on their property are asked to call police at 724-745-8020, extension 518.