Tires Slashed on 22 Vehicles in Hunters Ridge Parking Lot
November 2, 2009 • By Ford Prior, Contributing Writer
Print This Post
Email This Post
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Last Tuesday night, Eric Rothschild’s 2003 Honda Element and 21 other vehicles parked in Hunters Ridge Apartment Complex were found with punctured tires.
According to police, the slashings happened between 11 p.m. Oct. 27 and 11 a.m. Oct. 28 in the 1300 block of Hunters Ridge Road. Many vehicles had one or two tires slashed, but, Rothschild, a sophomore ISAT major, lost three.
“Some of the other cars had beer bottles thrown on them. There was shattered glass on the hood and everything,” Rothschild said.
He thinks the vandalism was “pretty scattered” and “completely random.” According to Rothschild, many others believe the damage was caused by “drunk kids” in Hunters Ridge.
Mary-Hope Gangwer, spokeswoman for the Harrisonburg Police Department, said tire slashings happen sporadically throughout the city, and part of the ongoing investigation is to see if they are connected.
“Drunk people are not smart enough to do that,” said Jessica Merz, a sophomore finance major.
With the vandalism comes a financial burden on students. Students will have to pay to fix their cars.
“I have to pay for it, because I don’t think my insurance covers vandalism,” he said. “I think it’s like 600 bucks.”
Merz has already purchased one of the two tires she needs replaced. She spent $180 on that one tire from Merchants Tire and Auto Center.
Many of the slashings occurred in front of road-side apartments. Merz’s dwelling, for instance, is located directly on the side of Port Republic Road — her two other roommates also lost tires.
Contact Ford Prior at priorww@jmu.edu.
Comments
Got something to say?
Best of the 'Burg Supplement
April 29, 2010 Issue in Print
