Rebekah Schwarz, 16, was hoping to cool off in her family’s pool Monday after a day of strawberry picking.
She couldn’t do it, thanks to a bunch of knuckle heads who went on a vandalism spree in her Ansonia neighborhood over the weekend.
Schwarz lives on Ridge Road. Her family discovered their above-ground swimming pool had three puncture wounds Sunday morning.
“My mother woke my dad and said ‘Happy Father’s Day, the pool has been stabbed.’”
The damage is estimated at several thousand dollars. The family wandered to the front of their home, where they realized they weren’t the only victims.
In all, Ansonia police said 12 vehicles were damaged during a vandalism spree that is thought to have happened between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday. Car windows were smashed. Tires were slashed.
The vandals also struck on Sunset Drive and other roads in the area.
Police haven’t made any arrests, but they believe the spree involved more than one person.
“At this time no suspects have been identified but witnesses in the area report that there was a group of four to five people that were seen in the area at the time,” Cota said.
One of the suspects has long hair, police said.
A canine unit from Seymour was sent to see if the suspects could be tracked. The dog followed a scent to a wooded area behind 63 Woodlawn Ave.
“However, no suspects were located,” Cota said.
The vandalism spree started on Hubbell Avenue and continued north onto Sunset Drive and then onto Ridge Road and Morningside Drive, police said.
The suspects are believed to have fled onto Underhill Road and then onto Gardner’s Lane to Woodlawn Avenue and into the wooded area.
Schwarz said last year at this time someone threw eggs at her house and several of her neighbors.
No arrests were made after last year’s vandalism.
When asked by the Valley Indy of an end-of-the-year prank tradition connected to the Ansonia High School graduation, police said they did not see a connection.
Schwarz said she hadn’t heard of anything like that. Her neighbors are scratching their heads trying to figure out what motivated the vandals.
“We really have no idea why this happened. It’s possible that it’s high school students, but that’s just the idea I have,” she said.
Meanwhile, a block watch meeting between police and residents in the neighborhood is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fred Ortolo Community Center at 70 Woodlawn Ave. The meeting is open to the public. The vandalism will be a topic of discussion.
Anyone with information should call the Ansonia Police Department at 203 – 735-1885 and ask for Lt. Andrew Cota.
The following was posted Monday at 11:22 a.m.:
A weekend vandalism spree damaged 12 vehicles and destroyed a resident’s above-ground swimming pool.
The crimes were reported Saturday, according to information from police spokesman Lt. Andrew Cota.
The crimes are thought to have happened between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Windows were smashed and tires slashed on Sunset Drive and the surrounding area.
In addition, the vandals slashed a swimming pool on Ridge Road, causing the water to spill out.
“At this time no suspects have been identified but witnesses in the area report that there was a group of four to five people that were seen in the area at the time,” Cota said.
One of the individuals has long hair, police said.
A canine unit from Seymour was sent to track the suspects. The dog followed a scent to a wooded area behind 63 Woodlawn Avenue.
“However, no suspects were located,” Cota said.
The vandalism spree started on Hubbell Avenue and continued north onto Sunset Drive and then onto Ridge Road and Morningside Drive.
The suspects are believed to have fled onto Underhill Road and then onto Gardner’s Lane to Woodlawn Avenue and into the wooded area.
Anyone with information should call the Ansonia Police Department at 203 – 735-1885 and ask for Lt. Andrew Cota.
A block watch meeting between police and residents in the neighborhood is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fred Ortolo Community Center at 70 Woodlawn Ave. The meeting is open to the public. The vandalism will be a topic of discussion.
