Cars Vandalized In Boston After Drivers Moved Parking Space Savers
BOSTON (CBS) – Several cars have been vandalized around Boston after last weekend's blizzard. The incidents took place between Monday and Wednesday, with several victims saying they moved space savers that were placed in shoveled out parking spots.
Traditionally, Bostonians who spend hours digging out parking spots place items in the street to keep people from stealing their space.
Hunter Evers and his girlfriend thought they were being good neighbors. They shoveled out the spot in their Allston/Brighton neighborhood where they'd parked during the blizzard, and left it empty. Evers says he thought to himself, "once I need to leave that spot it's a public street, I'm gone; anyone else who needs it can have it."
He figured his neighbors would think the same. He was wrong.
"Someone had placed a chair in the street and we moved it because we figured it was a public road and no one actually owns any part of it," he says. "We moved the chair and then we came back out the next morning and there was just complete damage along the entire side of the car."
GALLERY: Parking Space Savers In Boston
It looks like whoever put that chair there in the first place took a shovel and banged up the side of their car.
Evers and his girlfriend went to report it to police, but they figure they'll be on the hook for repairs no matter what.
"You can't save a spot with a chair and expect people to honor that," he says. "I really don't believe in that at all."
Next big storm, he says, he'll still shovel himself out. And he will refuse to use a space-saver to claim his territory, on principle.
"I'm a firm believer of not doing that. I will not do that next time," he says.
The city ordered space savers be removed from the streets Thursday night by 6 p.m., 48 hours after the city's parking ban was lifted.
The following information on the vandalism is from Boston Police:
BRIGHTON
- About 10:49 a.m. on Tuesday, February 12, officers responded to a radio call involving vandalism on Litchfield Street. On arrival, the victim told officers someone slashed one of her tires. Officers observed the victim's car to be parked legally in a shoveled out spot in the area of 10 Litchfield Street. Victim stated that there were items placed in the empty parking space in an effort to "save" the spot which the victim says she moved prior to parking.
- About 11:00 a.m. on February 12, a male victim walked into District D-14 to report that his vehicle had been damaged sometime between 9:00pm on February 11 and 7:45am on February 12. Victim stated it appeared that that front passenger side door had been damaged by someone throwing a hard plastic saw horse against it.
- About 11:01 a.m., on Wednesday, February 13, officers responded to a call for vandalism in the area of 91 Union Street. On arrival, officers spoke to the caller who stated that she parked her vehicle on Snow Street at 10:00PM, on Tuesday, February 12. When she returned to her car the next day, she discovered two flat tires on her car.
DORCHESTER
- About 9:10 a.m., on Wednesday, February 13, a male victim reported to officers that his car tires were vandalized during the night while parked in the area of 7 Mayfield Street in Dorchester. The victim told police that he parked on February 12, at about 5:00 p.m. and when he returned to his car the next day, he noticed his front tires were slashed.
EAST BOSTON
- About 9:30 a.m., on February 12, officers responded to 163 Byron Street for a vandalism report. On arrival, the victim told officers that on Monday, February 11, he moved a chair from a parking space and then parked his car in the empty spot. When he returned to his car the next day, he discovered two flat/slashed tires on his car.
CHARLESTOWN
- On Tuesday, February 12, officers responded to 83 Cambridge Street for a vandalism report. On arrival, officers met with the caller who stated she found a nail in her tire which was flat.
ROXBURY
- About 1:57 p.m., on Tuesday, February 12, a male victim walked into District B-2 to file a report of vandalism to his vehicle. The victim told officers he parked his vehicle at in the area of 36 Elm Hill Park at about 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 12. When he returned to his vehicle a few hours later, he noticed the passenger side window of his vehicle was shattered. The victim further stated his vehicle was partially blocking a neighbor's parking space.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong contributed to this report.
