Magna vandals strike again; UPD says multiple schools, churches, cars targeted

MAGNA, Utah — Vandals who caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage throughout a Magna neighborhood have returned, now allegedly hitting multiple schools, churches, and people’s vehicles.

The Unified Police Department is asking residents in Magna to stay alert as detectives work to link everything together in an effort to stop the culprits.

Many of the incidents were caught on surveillance, showing what appears to be a group of teens who are sometimes laughing and joking as they prowl around neighborhoods, causing problems.

Around 3 a.m. last Saturday, the sound of smashing glass awoke Jessica Dunn’s neighbors, startling them.

The neighbors promptly went outside and found two windows busted out on Dunn’s mother’s vehicle. They immediately knocked on her door and called the police. They also had video of the incident, showing the group walking along the sidewalk before the sound of breaking glass was heard.

“It’s scary that you don’t even feel safe in your own neighborhood. You don’t feel safe in your own home,” Dunn said. “Anybody can be coming down here, lurking. What if they had busted out my front door, you know, with my kids inside?”

Magna schools and churches targeted

Around the time officers responded to her house, they also received calls of a break-in and vandalism at a church and Elk Run Elementary. Dunn said police left her house to go straight to the church, where Unified Police Lt. Shane Manwaring said all the fire extinguishers were sprayed throughout the building.

Video recorded by a nearby homeowner shows officers at the elementary, with the school alarms ringing out around 3:30 a.m. Granite School District said windows were smashed and damaged around the front door area, with the damage estimated at $10,000.

Manwaring said that last Saturday was just the latest in the string of vandalisms dating back to March they believe are all related. There are now up to 19 cases that detectives are investigating.

Read the full story about the Magna vandalisms at KSLTV.com