Multiple car vandalisms on Spruce Street in Philadelphia under investigation, police say

Philadelphia police investigating multiple car break-ins in Center City

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Police Department is investigating multiple car vandalisms along Spruce Street in Center City. CBS News Philadelphia found five cars with their windshields smashed.

Cellphone video showed a man stomping on a car windshield on Spruce Street Tuesday afternoon. 

"I was like, 'What's happening?' I heard like a smash and I saw him jump on the car right there and then grabbed my phone and tried to take a video as quickly as I could," said Isabella Giglio, who says she watched the whole thing from her apartment nearby.   

The man in the photo was seen smashing the windshields of several cars on the 900 and 1000 blocks of Spruce Street in Philadelphia on Aug. 27, 2004.  Philadelphia Police Department

Giglio said she even put notes on the windshields to let drivers know she had a video in hopes of helping them understand what happened.

Up the street, other neighbors said they saw the man smash other cars, too. Another cellphone video showed the man dancing on cars, and the damage stretched from 9th to 11th streets.

Amanda Josephs said she also watched from her apartment as the man grabbed paint cans and hit the windshields.

"Picking them up and smashing them," Josephs said. "I was really worried he was going to throw them at my apartment so I didn't want to go near it."

Many drivers arrived back to their cars and were shocked to find the damage.

Alexis Shafer noticed her car was vandalized after she woke up from her afternoon nap.

"And I just looked out the window to see what was going on and see what the weather was like and I saw that my windshield was smashed," Shafer said. "There is nothing I can do about it now, but I just hope that I can get it fixed."

Neighbors said, despite this vandalism, they feel safe and love the neighborhood they live in. They said the vandalism was unexpected.

"There is crime that happens everywhere, but this is generally a very safe, really nice block in a really safe neighborhood," Joesphs said.

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