When Linda Holzwarth and her nephew walked to their cars last Wednesday morning on the 1900 block of South Front Street, they discovered with shock that someone had redecorated their vehicles.
With black spray-paint.
The 35-year-old nephew’s beige 2000 Cadillac bore dark painted lines on every surface, including the windows.
For whatever reason, the perpetrators went a little easier on Holzwarth’s gold 2001 Hyundai; it was spray-painted the length of both sides.
Holzwarth, 52, has no clue who could have done such a thing. The vandals sprung into action sometime after the two went to sleep Aug. 19 and before they stepped outside around 8 a.m. the next day.
"It really upsets you that you work hard to get things and while you’re sleeping, getting ready to go to work, somebody is vandalizing what you are working for," she said.
Holzwarth, of the 100 block of Dudley Street, often parks her car on the 1900 block of Front, where her nephew resides. He lost a day’s work because he spent six hours scrubbing both cars. But thankfully, all of the paint came off.
"If you would have seen his car, you would never have dreamt he was ever getting that off. I mean, whoever did it, they had fun," Holzwarth said.
The night before the spray-painting episode, someone tried to break into a car parked on the same block. Wielding some sort of instrument, the offender bent back the passenger window frame about an inch from the car. The owner had to take the car to a local body shop for repair.
"Around here it’s not usually like this," Holzwarth said. "This is like a quiet little pocket. It’s just weird. Everybody watches out for one another. It’s very annoying and upsetting."
Also last week, Dudley Street residents almost caught another would-be car thief, but he escaped on bike.
"It’s scary. It’s like you hold your breath when you go to bed at night and hope when you wake up that everything is just the way you left it," added Holzwarth.
What happened to Holzwarth and her neighbors is far from a rare occurrence, however.
Car vandalism is widespread throughout South Philly — be it exterior vandalism, like spray-painting and keying, or more invasive types like theft from auto or slashing of tires. (Even the Review staff is not immune, as this writer’s new car was keyed last week in broad daylight while it was parked at 12th and Porter; the editor’s car was in her driveway when its windows were smashed, and in front of her house when it was stolen.)
Police say keying is one of the most common forms of car vandalism in South Philly. According to Sloane Collision body shop, a division of Sloane Chevrolet and Honda in the Northeast, there are two ways to fix a key mark — neither of which is inexpensive. If the damage isn’t too deep, it can be buffed. If it is deep, that calls for sanding, refilling and repainting. The tab can run from $200 to $2,000.
Joan and William Bracken, of the 800 block of South Third Street, had just purchased a BMW Z3 in May when, two weeks later, vandals keyed a jagged "Z" shape in the hood of the silver sports car.
"I was sick," said Joan Bracken. "It was a brand-new car for me — a sports car I always wanted. You just wonder sometimes, how can people do that? How petty and spiteful can they be to do things like that?"
She’s dubious about getting the car fixed professionally because she fears it might happen again. Last year, the spare tire cover affixed to the rear of the couple’s Honda CRV was slashed and the rubber swiped.
The Brackens now rent a parking spot in a lot.
The Third Police District, where the Brackens live, has handled a wave of car vandalism reports in recent months.
In the wee hours of March 23, vandals targeted at least 59 cars in the district, slashing one or more tires — resulting in approximately $8,850 worth of damage, said Lt. William Walls.
The incidents occurred from the 300 block of Catharine Street to the 800 block of South Fourth Street. Investigators said at the time that it was, collectively, an isolated incident.
But on Aug. 6 around 7:45 p.m., there was another round of tire slashings along the 100 and 200 blocks of Dickinson Street, said Third District Officer Maritza Melendez. This time, vandals slashed the rear driver’s side tire of eight cars.
The 17th District also has had problems with car vandalism, specifically theft from autos, said Capt. Jerrold Bates. The problem area is centered mostly around Graduate Hospital at 18th and Lombard, said Officer Christine McGinnis. But in recent weeks, the theft in that area has actually decreased, she noted.
Short of putting the car in a garage or secured space, there is little one can do to prevent car vandalism, said First District Community Relations Officer Donato Inverso. He added that to safeguard against theft from autos, residents should take everything out of their cars.
Aside from the rash of tire slashings that occurred along Pattison Avenue during a Phillies game last month, Inverso’s district hasn’t had a recurring problem with car vandalism, he said.
South Detective Division doesn’t investigate acts of vandalism unless the damage amounts to at least $2,000, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives. The exceptions are hate crimes or institutional vandalism, like churches and schools.
Meanwhile, car vandalism has become another quality-of-life issue plaguing local residents.
