LPD: At least 20 vandalism cases reported overnight

Lincoln police received at least 20 reports of car windows being smashed overnight.

They’re hoping for the public’s help in catching whoever is responsible

LPD says between the hours of 10 pm Thursday and 3 am Friday, at least 20 car windows were smashed in with an unknown object, possibly a bat.

These cases happened all over northeast and southeast Lincoln, stretching from UNL’s East Campus down to the 56th and Pine Lake Road area.

One woman who was impacted found out on her way out the door for work.

“I got in my car and started pulling out of my driveway, and then I heard that my windshield was shattered. I took a look at it and I found a big hole was smashed into it on my car,” said Susan Okeng.

Okeng said the cost to fix her car was over 200 dollars, a lot of money for a working single mother of three.

“It’s frustrating because it’s already the end of the month, we still have to pay rent, and now because of this, we didn’t plan for it and it just happened,” said Okeng.

LPD says the total damage count is thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

Okeng’s car wasn’t the only one hit, her brother, who is away serving in the military, parks his car on the street.

His car was also hit. The person who did it didn’t even steal anything.

She’s flabbergasted and looking for answers.

“We don’t have any enemies that we know of, but now we are like, who is doing this? Why are they doing it, and what is next,” said Okeng.

Okeng says that her neighborhood, located just south of 27th and O street, has had an increase in criminal activity like this lately.

She’s worried for the safety of herself and her children.

“It’s been happening every single day around this neighborhood, it’s getting scary here. We don’t know who is doing it and we don’t know why,” said Okeng.

A similar string of vandalism occurred back in June, and through witness tips and video surveillance, the people responsible were caught.

LPD is once again asking for the community’s help, trying to identify a suspect.

The total number of vandalism cases has risen to around 30 to 40 cases, possible even double what the numbers were this morning, according to police. 

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Previous reporting:

Police are investigating a string of reported vandalism cases on the east end of Lincoln. 

Police said the vandalism, most of which were reported between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., caused thousands of dollars in damage. Many residents reported shattered windshields or other damage to vehicles. 

The number of cases could grow as more people file reports, police said. 

A similar string of vandalism occurred in June.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call LPD at 402-441-6000 or Lincoln Crimestoppers at 402-475-3600.