Several car vandalisms on Spruce Street in Philadelphia are being investigated, police say

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia police are investigating several cases of vandalism of cars along Spruce Street in the city center. CBS News Philadelphia found five cars with smashed windshields.

A cell phone video showed a man stomping on the windshield of a car on Spruce Street on Tuesday afternoon.

“I just thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I heard something like a bang and saw him jump on the car right there. Then I grabbed my phone and tried to record a video as quickly as I could,” said Isabella Giglio, who watched the whole thing from her apartment nearby.

Giglio said she even put notes on windshields to alert drivers that she had video, hoping to help them understand what happened.

Further up the street, other neighbors said they saw the man smashing other cars as well. Another cell phone video showed the man dancing on cars. The damage stretched from 9th to 11th streets.

Amanda Josephs said she watched from her apartment as the man grabbed cans of paint and banged on the windshields.

“He picked it up and smashed it,” Josephs said. “I was really scared he was going to throw it at my apartment, so I didn’t want to go near it.”

Many drivers returned to their cars and were shocked to discover the damage.

Alexis Shafer noticed the vandalism on her car after she woke up from her afternoon nap.

“I just looked out the window to see what was going on and what the weather was like, and I saw my windshield was shattered,” Shafer said. “There’s nothing I can do about it now, but I’m hoping I can get it repaired.”

Neighbors said that despite this vandalism, they felt safe and loved the neighborhood they lived in. They said the vandalism was unexpected.

“There’s crime everywhere, but overall this is a very safe, really nice block in a really safe neighborhood,” Joesphs said.