In a Matter of Hours, Suspect Cuts the Tires of More Than 40 Vehicles in Manhattan – NBC New York (47)

Dozens of vehicles in Manhattan were damaged in the span of hours Tuesday morning, according to police.

A man was seen on surveillance video cutting the tires on more than 40 cars, trucks and SUVs in this county, authorities said. By Tuesday night, more than a dozen cars in West 15th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in Chelsea still had flat tires.

Some still did not know that their vehicles had been damaged. They found out from the notes the officers left in their cars.

“The whole block had half their cars completely flat,” said Sarah Rona, who lives in the area. “People were here on their backs changing their own tires.”

Another woman said that not only did they slash the tires on her vehicle, but whoever did it also scratched the car with a knife.

Police confirmed that some of the victims are firefighters who had their personal cars parked near the firehouse on Eighth Avenue in Times Square.

“Honestly, it’s worse than that because it makes us fear for our safety, potentially. It’s a pretty violent act. It’s more than just slashing someone’s windshield,” said neighbor Rich Herbst.

Those living in the area are hoping someone will recognize the man seen on surveillance video and call police. Some of the victims are now looking for a way to pay for reparations.

Police said it is not yet clear if the damage in Chelsea is linked to the damage in the city center.

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