ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Some scary moments for drivers in Elizabeth Township after police say someone has been throwing things at cars.
Elizabeth Township Police say it all started this week when the department kept getting calls about kids throwing water bottles at cars. It damaged some cars and scared several other drivers.
Sarah Simeon was driving along Route 48 on Tuesday near the Swiss Alpine Village around 2 p.m. when her car was hit.
“In the car with my 5-year-old, and out of nowhere it’s just like ‘wah boosh,’ and a big splash of water across my windshield and I’m like, ‘what was that?’” Sarah Simeon said.
While it didn’t damage her car, it startled her.
“It’s not cool at all, like it’s very scary,” she said. “If I would’ve wrecked, who would’ve known what could’ve happened. Like I could have wrecked in the other lane; I could’ve gone into the guardrail.”
Elizabeth Township Police say she’s not alone.
“Yesterday between middle school and elementary school dismissal we began getting several 911 calls from our bus drivers related to large groups of juveniles in smaller vehicles driving around either throwing water balloons or water bottles from the vehicles at either pedestrians walking on the roadways or passing by cars,” Elizabeth Township Police Chief Ken Honick said.
In some cases, the chief says the kids threw frozen water bottles. The issue prompted the police department to post about it on Facebook, and people started commenting that it happened to them, with one driver sharing a picture of her damaged front windshield.
The chief says officers caught six underage suspects yesterday along McKeesport Road. He believes there are likely other victims, not only in Elizabeth Township but potentially in the surrounding communities.
“This case we’ve learned that we have approximately a half dozen juveniles from a variety of communities who traveled, not only in Elizabeth Township but as we’ve learned in the last 48 hours into three other counties,” Honick said.
Right now, he won’t elaborate on which counties or if there was damage done. He’s asking residents who live along Route 48 and Karen Drive to check their doorbell camera footage.
If you were a victim, police want to hear from you - either in person or over the phone. Police are working with the District Attorney to determine what charges are appropriate for the juveniles.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW