Police: Cars vandalized in Austintown

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

Two people reported their vehicles’ tires were slashed, with sugar or salt poured into the gas tanks, within one hour Thursday, according to two township police reports.

The first report was made about 8:30 a.m. from the 100 block of Carnegie Avenue. The victim reported someone damaged their 2005 Pontiac Grand Am, which was parked in their driveway, earlier that morning.

The suspect deflated the vehicle’s right-side tires, poured sugar in the gas tank and threw eggs and ketchup on the car, according to the report.

In the second report, made about 9:30 a.m. from less than two miles away in the 4800 block of Westchester Drive, the suspect also flattened a tire on the victim’s 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, which was parked and unoccupied in the driveway, and poured what appeared to be sugar or salt in the gas tank.

A neighbor reportedly saw the suspect tampering with that car sometime after 9 p.m. Wednesday and identified the person, according to the report. The suspect, who was acquainted with the Westchester Drive victim, had previously made threats about damaging the victim’s vehicle, according to the report.

The suspect was named in the report, but has not been charged.

Neither of the reports, which were written within an hour of each other by two different Austintown officers, indicate the incidents are believed to be connected.