Springfield woman claims kids on bikes vandalized her car

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A Springfield woman is sharing what she said happened last week when a group of juveniles on bikes surrounded her car and smashed her rear window.

“Like, they surrounded me. There were about 20 to 30 of them, and they got on each side. So left, right, front, and back. And I’m not sure what they hit it with, but it was hard enough to dent the whole back in and completely take out the window,” said the woman, who has asked us to keep her identity hidden.

On Monday, she described what happened on Wednesday just before 10 p.m. She told Western Mass News she was on State Street between the KFC and Pride gas station when the group suddenly made their move.

“Obviously, they got so close that I almost hit one of them because they surrounded the car. When that happened, they attacked the car. I’m not sure what hit it, something hit it really hard,” she said.

She showed us the result. Her window was completely shattered, but she said she didn’t notice the damage until she got home.

“My whole back window shattered. When I ended up pulling into my house, I saw how bad the damage was. I tried to get it fixed. They told me it wasn’t fixable unless the whole thing came off,” she explained. “All the sensors are going off. All the lights are going off. I have to drop off the car when I get the money to pay for it. I don’t have rental coverage.”

Not only does she have to worry about the money to pay for it., but also, she told Western Mass News she is sick.

“I’m really overwhelmed just because I am really sick. I have a kidney disease, and I’m waiting for a transplant. I’ve been in and out of the hospital.”

When she drops off her car at the shop, she will have to figure out how to transport herself and her kids.

“I have no way to bring my kids to school, no way to get to my appointments, and no way to take care of myself and my health,” she said.

If there is surveillance video from Wednesday, the woman said that may not be enough.

“To be honest, all the bike life kids who do this, they always wear masks,” she said. “Either full-on masks that cover their whole entire face, eyes, everything. It’s going to be really hard to identify them, so I really don’t think anything will come out of it even if they do catch the video. I’d still have to be responsible to pay for the damages.”

She said she filed a report with police. Springfield Police spokesperson Ryan Walsh confirmed that and told us in a statement, in part:

“A victim filed a report Thursday about an incident that occurred on the 600 block of State Street. The victim stated a large group of juveniles on bicycles surrounded her car and smashed the rear [window] with an unknown item. Youth aid detectives are investigating.”

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