Cops look at new spate of car vandalism

Seventh Squad detectives are looking for vandals who broke the windows of six parked vehicles in a Merrick neighborhood overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning, Nassau County police said.

A spokesman said police are investigating all possibilities in the case, including whether it is related to 21 vehicles that had their windows damaged in Massapequa overnight Saturday into Sunday -- roughly 7 to 10 miles away.

The six vehicles were parked on Clubhouse Road, Rosebud Avenue, Hedge Lane and Charles Street, mostly an area south of Merrick Road and east of the Meadowbrook State Parkway.

Four vehicles had their passenger-side windows broken, and two others' driver's side windows were smashed, police said.

In Massapequa, some car owners had speculated that their windows had been shot out with some type of pellet gun. But police later said they did not think a gun was used.

Police said the windows damaged in Merrick all seemed to have been smashed by some type of blunt instrument.

One of the victims in Merrick, Dana Buettner, 33, said Wednesday afternoon that it will cost nearly $500 to replace the passenger-side window and electronic window motor on her 2011 Nissan.

Her car, parked on Clubhouse Road, also was ransacked, she said. "They were looking for something, because all the compartments in the car were open," she said.

A coat also was missing from her car, but she said she found it in the street, after police had left the area, about two houses away from her home.

Buettner said her uncle, who lives with her family, woke up before her and noticed around 8 a.m. that the car window was damaged. The other vehicles included a 2011 Jeep, a 2007 Acura, a 2010 Subaru, a 1999 Land Rover and a 1996 Chevrolet.

Police said the car windows were smashed between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday.

"I'm really hurt, very hurt by this," Buettner said. "I work two jobs, including one as a teacher's aide, and I don't have the money right now to pay for this."

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers, 800-244-8477. All calls will be kept confidential.