Acid vandal or copy-cat?

Investigators are trying to determine whether 2 acts of vandalism this week in Lancaster, PA were the work of the County's notorious Acid Vandal, a copycat or a Halloween prankster. Brett Hambright worte the following piece in the local paper: Intelligencer Journal: Two cars, one in Manheim Township and the other in Lancaster city, were doused with a corrosive substance that peeled away the vehicles' paint, investigators said.

Lancaster city police say a recent incident on the 200 block of East Lemon Street wasn't consistent with the vandal's ongoing 22-month spree. Meanwhile, Manheim Township police aren't so sure. A car vandalized overnight Sunday on Jackson Street showed similar damage to vehicles targeted during the spree. The victim said Wednesday night that paint on the hood of her Ford Escort "was curling up like potato chips." Paint was stripped to the car's primer in two square-foot blotches, the victim said. Manheim Township police Sgt. Robert Baldwin said the "acid vandal" may or may not be responsible.

"It appeared to have been an acid-like substance, but we don't know" whether it's connected, Baldwin said. The victim, who asked not to be identified in fear of retaliation, said her car was targeted overnight Sunday. The woman said she didn't notice the damage until Tuesday because frost covered the vehicle when she drove it early Monday. "How dare they do that to me?" she said Wednesday.

She isn't the only person outraged.

Since January 2006, more than 400 vehicles in Lancaster city and township have been hit by the "acid vandal." The vandal is described as a skinny, middle-aged white man, according to a city woman who watched him at work in late August.

Sporadic incidents have been reported in Manheim Township. Total damages from the spree likely are nearing $500,000 dollars. The Jackson Street resident said she probably won't get her car repaired at a body shop for "several hundred dollars." On average, repairs cost about $1,000 per vehicle — more if multiple panels are damaged.

"I don't have the money, so I'll probably sand it myself," she said. "The vehicle is not my life."

In Lancaster city, a vehicle in the 200 block of East Lemon Street was vandalized overnight Monday, police said.
The vehicle was damaged by a corrosive chemical, but officials say they are treating the case as a separate incident. "It's not related, but we can't discuss why," Lancaster city police Capt. John Flemming said Wednesday evening. "It's different in several ways." Police have been telling residents to stay alert and watch for anyone suspicious on their block. The Jackson Street woman said her neighbors often do just that. "Usually, we kind of know when somebody strange is in the neighborhood," she said. "Neighbors kind of look out for each other."

Lancaster City-County Crime Stoppers is offering an $18,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the acid vandal case. Tipsters should call (800) 322-1913.
City police can be reached at 735-3300.