Vandals go wild in PennDOT lot, cause 200G damage

At least two vandals tore up a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation facility in Hunting Park on Monday night, resulting in damage costing up to $200,000, officials said.

State Police haven't arrested anyone for the destructive spree, which involved ramming a vehicle into the side of a building, on Ruffner Street near Pulaski Avenue.

A crew-cab pickup truck, worth $40,000, was totaled.

The structural damage to the front of the building is estimated to cost between $75,000 and $150,000 to repair, said Nick Martino, assistant executive for maintenance at the facility.

The vandalism has PennDOT workers dumbfounded because they've historically had good relations with the neighborhood.

"This is a random act," Martino said "We've been there for over 25 years. We've always had a great rapport with the neighborhood, and we've never had any type of incident like this.

"It kind of took us aback."

It is unknown how the vandals entered the fenced-in property, but once they got in, they had a key to the crew cab and entered it. They then revved up the crew cab and rammed it against the building and three other vehicles, including a dump truck.

A PennDOT crew arrived after midnight to discover the mess on the three-acre facility that's made up of offices, storage and a repair shop.

State Police said the vandals struck between 4 p.m., which is when the last shift left, and when the next crew came in at midnight.

Surveillance cameras weren't operating to document the criminal activity because PennDOT is in the middle of upgrading its system, Martino said.

Tipsters can call State Trooper Guy Lenoir at 215-560-6200.