Turning Your Small Business Into A Smashing Success

After dozens car windows were smashed on Staten Island, police investigators are looking into the possibility that an auto repair shop was behind the vandalism:

Cops are investigating the possibility that a North Shore auto repair shop hired thugs to smash out almost 100 car windows in an attempt to beef up business.

Inspector Richard Bruno, commanding officer of the North Shore’s 120th Precinct, is so disgusted with the rash of vandalism last week that he has personally promised to go to any lengths necessary to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“This is either some fraternity or gang initiation, or some sort of operation for financial gain,” Bruno said.

He emphasized that his detectives are “leaning toward” the latter of those two theories.

“We will be visiting every auto glass repair shop on the North Shore. There are over 20 of them, and we will be running background checks on the owners to see if anyone is struggling financially,” said Bruno.

He added that his officers will be on the lookout for two to four white males last seen leaving some of the crime scenes in a black Kia Sportage, a four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle.

“We have the ability to check state Department of Motor Vehicle records for every black Kia [registered] on Staten Island,” said Bruno. “And we are going to do that. We’re going to shake some bushes.”

In total, Bruno said, 86 windows were damaged — 20 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and 66 Friday night into Saturday morning.

The NYPD provided the following statistics: 30 car windows were smashed in Mariners Harbor; 17 in Port Richmond, near Heberton and Charles avenues; 15 in West Brighton, near Oakland, Pelton and Castleton avenues; 11 in Westerleigh; nine in New Brighton, near Tysens Street and Franklin Avenue, and four in Castleton Corners, near Knox Place and Governor Road.

“The damage was deliberate,” said Bruno. “There was one residence on Oakland Avenue where the suspect hopped into a fenced-in backyard, broke a window with a brick and hopped back out.”