Neighborhood Trashed by Vandals, Deck on House Set on Fire

Residents of the 700 block of Schoolgate Road and the immediate vicinity are up in arms tonight about a rash of vandalism that marked their cars and garages with spray-painted graffiti. One family is dealing with more—the deck to their house was set on fire.

New Lenox Fire Protection District said the call came in about 6:09 a.m. Friday and was doused in about 15 minutes. The cause of the blaze is being investigated; neighbors say it was arson.

New Lenox police have not yet released information concerning the event that involved multiple homes and car owners.

One resident told Patch anonymously that he woke up Friday to find the back of his van had been spray painted with gray paint and the window on his wife's car was sprayed too.

"It seems like it started at the corner of Cooper Road and Schoolgate Road. They spray painted vehicles and garage doors with vulgar words and gang symbols."

The Schoolgate resident went on to say that his neighbor's garage had vulgarity sprayed all over it. Another had the words, "drugs and sex" sprayed on it.

"I went over there and cleaned it up. They have kids there, and they don't want that on the door. I painted it over for them."

A number of cars were tampered with, said the resident. Some were burglarized, according to the tipster.

Vandalism and graffiti is one thing, he said, but setting a house on fire was over and above a simple act of vandalism. "Now they've crossed a line, because someone could have been killed," he said.

Here's what New Lenox Patch Facebook Fans are saying:

• I was wondering why I seen so many cops on the way to take Bran to school...

• Yeah. I guess one house set on fire, one car set in fire, and About 10 houses graffitied. It's pretty bad

• I live right there and didn't see anything...

• That is crazy!

• Yeah. New lenox is not the same town we grew up in. So sad

• What?!?!

• Yes, i drove over there. its really sad... some people need to get a life...

• My mom's house luckily was not vandalized but most of her neighbors. Crazy people!

• There are crimes no matter where you live it can happen anywhere.

• I think new Lenox is getting crappy too. All the drug overdoses I see are crazy !

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