Vandals flip car over at block party

Several University students flipped over and severely damaged a parked car at an unofficial Spring Fling block party on the 3900 block of Sansom Street early Saturday morning. According to several eyewitnesses, a group of students overturned a red 1974 Dodge Colt which was parked near the corner of 40th and Sansom streets between 1 and 1:30 a.m. According to University Police, the owner of the car, whose name was not released, reported the car's roof, hood, and driver's side door panel smashed in, the driver's side window broken and the driver's side mirror broken off. College senior Tristan Svare, who witnessed the incident, said that he saw three "big jock types" attempting to flip the car completely over. But Svare said they only succeeded in turning the car on its side. Svare said that after the car had been turned on its side, he could smell gasoline and someone suggested burning the car. "At this point a strong odor of gasoline was really obvious," Svare said. "Most people were becoming a bit more cautious but some idiots, once they smelled the gas, started yelling 'Burn it! Burn it!' and that's when I got the hell out of there." A Wharton junior, who asked to remain anonymous, said last night that when people began smelling the gas, they began to worry about a possible fire and someone sprayed the car with a fire extinguisher. She said that when people saw the foam from the fire extinguisher, they thought it was smoke from a fire and began to disperse quickly. A male eyewitness, who also requested anonymity, said some of the men who flipped the car were wearing jackets with football insignia on it. Two College juniors who live on the block said last night they poured ice and numerous buckets of water over the car in an attempt to prevent a gasoline fire. The two juniors also said they believed organizers did not have a permit to hold the party and had not posted signs warning area residents. But they said that from approximately 7 p.m., residents discouraged drivers from parking their cars on the block. University Police Lieutenant Susan Holmes said last night University Police officers responded at 1:20 a.m. to reports of a disturbance in the 3900 block of Sansom. Holmes said that when the officers arrived at the scene they tried to question some of the approximately 500 people at the party but learned little about the incident. She said according to the officers, many of the people were too intoxicated to be reliable witnesses. Others did not wish to become involved and others refused to answer questions. Holmes said the sheer number of people, the music from two live bands and the intoxicated state of most of the people prevented police from investigating at the time. But she said University Police will probably begin a probe of the incident this week by questioning residents of the block. The owner of the car discovered the automobile later that morning and reported its condition to University Police at 11:47 a.m., Holmes said. She added that the owner told police he parked the car at 10:13 p.m. Friday night and discovered the car at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. Holmes said University Police returned to close down the block party an hour after the incident because the bands were violating a city ordinances which prohibit loud music after a certain hour. Eyewitness Svare said that he was upset with students' behavior. "I am continually amazed at the blatant stupidity of supposed intelligent young students at this school," Svare said. "Sometimes it seems more like a kindergarten for the socially inept than an Ivy League university."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.