Glass-smashing teens on rampage

A group of teenagers started the school holidays with a two-night window-smashing spree that caused tens of thousands of dollars' damage.

Up to six teenagers are believed to be responsible for about 20 acts of vandalism inflicted on at least three shops, eight bus stops, four cars, a school, soccer clubrooms, portable toilet and an earthmover during the weekend.

Most of the damage involved windows or glass smashed by stones, large rocks and wheelie bins. Police began getting reports of broken car windows and smashed glass in bus stops round Auckland's eastern suburbs on Friday night.

It continued well into Saturday night, by which time damage had been reported at streets in St Heliers, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Johns, Remuera, Green Lane and Epsom.

In Kohimarama, the owner of a vehicle, who wants to be known as Cheryl, said she was woken about 1am on Sunday by a sound similar to a small explosion.

"I heard it again and again but then there was nothing so I went back to sleep."

In the morning, she saw glass all over the road. Her damaged company car was sitting in the middle of it all.

"I couldn't believe it. The whole of the back window was taken out and the five windows along the side.

"Every door frame and every part of the window frame was damaged."

As in the three other cases reported to police, there was no attempt to steal anything from Cheryl's car.

"They just did it for the sport, the exploding windows. This is pure destruction for the sake of entertainment."

Vandalism was also reported at the Glover Park soccer clubrooms, a construction site and Diocesan School, where two large rocks were thrown through the window.

The teenagers used a car to drag two large garden wheelie bins about 100m down a road. The bins were then thrown through the windows of a parked car.

Police, who have described the vandalism as senseless damage, say the broken glass puts people's safety at risk, including the staff who have to clean it up.

Six people, aged 15 and 16, are helping police with their inquiries.