Michelle Kim

Residents in Queens Neighborhood Awake to Shocking Car Vandalism

Residents in a Queens neighborhood woke up Tuesday morning to find over a dozen cars vandalized on their street, with windows broken and smashed in, and items from inside thrown around the cars, police say.

Police say around 12 to 15 cars had their windows smashed along Metropolitan Avenue and Park Lane South near Forest Park in Kew Gardens. The vandalism spree apparently happened late Monday night to early Tuesday morning. 

Two car owners reported items stolen from inside the vehicles, though it's not clear what they were. Police say it's considered petit larceny.

"It's very upsetting to come back and find that in your vehicle," said Kew Gardens resident MK Moore. 

Neighbors believe the number of cars targeted were more than 20, but that some people aren't reporting them because they're afraid it will affect their car value and insurance rates. 

"We counted 20 vehicles with their windows bashed out and all of their personal belongings strewn up and about Park Lane here," said Moore. 

Police said Wednesday they have persons of interest in the case, but would not say if they've been located. 

Neighbors say there's a bigger issue: Forest Park has no surveillance cameras, and at night, criminals have the cover of darkness.

"Especially at night, it's incredibly dark in the park," said Moore. "Even five feet from the road, it's pitch black." 

Residents are calling for more cameras and patrols while they deal with the aftermath of the crime spree. 

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