JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Vandals pried open a water main on the fifth floor of an upscale apartment complex being built on Riverside Avenue, flooding the floors below and causing more than $150,000 in damage.
220 Riverside is expected to open its doors to its first tenants in January, and while it's still too early to tell if the damage will delay its opening, there certainly is a lot more work to do now.
Police said vandals went to the fifth floor, opened the main water main, and the water ran for more than an hour and a half, flooding every floor below to the parking garage. Four stories of ceilings, sheet rock, insulation and cabinetry were all ruined by water.
A security guard working Monday morning told police he saw four teenagers fleeing the scene.
Diane McGrath, who plans on moving to Riverside, said it's a shame that vandals are trying to destroy something the community is embracing.
"Seeing destruction of any kind of property is bad," McGrath said. "I mean, what is there to be gained? I could see if they were stealing something, but they're not."
According to a police report, the vandals rode their bicycles to the apartments, and all but one left on their bikes. Police recovered that bike and a fire extinguisher that may provide them with the clues they need.
"They may have evidence here, so it's important that the kids who did this turn themselves in rather than the police coming to track you down," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said. "That would be even more severe. So right now you have a chance to work with the police."
Smith said if caught, the teens could face burglary and even felony charges because of the high-dollar damage amount.
This wasn't the first crime committed at the property. A site supervisor said 220 Riverside has reported burglaries in the past.
"I don't think they are aware of the damage that they are causing," Riverside resident James Colon said. "They may do it as a prank, not realizing the damage that they are doing. That's a shame, but that's what I think."
A spokesperson for the construction company working on the project said it is working hard to repair the damage and complete the construction, which will be complete in several phases next year.