CALWALLA Crescent residents have been left devastated and angry after their cars were splashed with acid by a 'sick' vandal in Port Macquarie.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The street has suffered a long-term campaign of midnight vandalism and destruction with numerous vehicles splashed with a corrosive paint stripping substance in 2019, 2018 and earlier years.
After a two year respite, at least two cars were defaced again overnight on Monday, January 17, and homeowners were left devastated to discover the damage the next morning.
Calwalla Crescent resident Deidre Triefus, who only recently moved to the area from Indonesia and had her car defaced on Monday, said local residents have been welcoming and friendly, but this incident has been devastating.
"What kind of satisfaction do people get from this? I think they are really sick people" Mrs Triefus said.
"This person or people, they don't know us and we have never done anything to them. It's in-discriminant and it's really sad.
"Our car has suffered about $6000 worth of damage and we have been told more than $200,000 in damage has been done over the years. We have even been told by the neighbours not to get it fixed straight away because they will come back."
Colin Triefus said residents of the street are also concerned about the thought of someone walking around at night armed with paint stripper.
"What kind of action can anyone take to remedy this situation? It doesn't seem as if the police are getting very far and we worry that this is going to continue," he said.
"It concerns me that this is almost lunatic behaviour and the motivation behind this is so hard to understand. Whoever it is seems to have a fixation on the street and some history in Calwalla Crescent.
"It's something that's been going on for a really long time and it's not unlivable, but it certainly makes it difficult."
Three cars were significantly damaged in February 2018 when they were cloaked in a paint stripping substance.
Another spate of vandalism occurred in 2019 when three cars were doused in a corrosive substance some time between 6pm and 7am on April 7. CCTV footage was sent to police for investigation after that incident.
A Calwalla Crescent resident said over time they had improved security and were shocked by the recent attack.
"We are fed up of this because if we have visitors over and they park on the street, we are scared they will be targeted. I don't know why this has sprung up again after two years," they said.
"We feel sorry for new people who move to the street because their cars are getting done.
"It definitely makes you nervous. It feels like something we have to live with because no one can do anything about it."
A NSW Police spokesperson said as inquiries continue, anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage is urged to come forward.
"Officers from Mid North Coast Police District are investigating two reported incidents of vandalism in Port Macquarie from Monday night (17 January 2022)," the spokesperson said.
"Police are also investigating whether there are any links between these incidents and a number of damaged motor vehicles from several years ago."
If anyone has information relating to this matter, they are urged to contact Port Macquarie Police on 6583 0199 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
Bookmark our website
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
You can support us with a subscription
Follow us on Twitter: @portmacnews
Follow us on Instagram: @portmacnews
Follow us on Google News