Tulsa Church Van Destroyed By Fire Friday Morning

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A gang of vandals left their own trail of destruction in Midtown Tulsa Thursday night.

Firefighters responded to a horn blaring and a fire blazing in the parking lot of Christ United Methodist Church.

They say a fire was set and the arsonist didn't want to ruin just one van, but two.

Firefighters say the van next to the burned one had a broken window, which makes them suspect that whoever sparked the flames wanted them to spread.

Investigators believe it's the work of trouble-making teens who tore through 31st and Harvard, leaving a trail of mayhem and mischief in their wake.

Two churches, three businesses, and several neighborhoods were hit.

"Its crazy," Nicolas Solis said. "What's wrong with these people today?"

Nicolas Solis had both of his cars vandalized, tires flattened, and the back windshield of his wife's vehicle was shattered.

She's a postal worker and this will affect how she makes her living.

"Everybody's going through hard times," Solis said. "We're going through hard times. We do our best to try and get by. And this don't help, ya know what I'm saying. It's tough."

From cars right in front of homes to cars parked at businesses. A medical park, near 33rd and Harvard, had several car tires slashed.

The vandals didn't leave any air left in most of the car tires, at nearby Eddy's Steakhouse.

Just across the street Ranch Acres Baptist Church was also hit. The front end of the vans were rendered useless.

And folks at Wendy's were just getting off work only to discover they couldn't get home.

"There were four cars here and they popped all four tires in all four cars," Jason Harwood, truck owner, said.

Harwood says the vandals attack comes at a particularly bad time.

"It's my truck. My finacee was borrowing it," he said. "And I just put new tires on it too."

Tulsa police say they've arrested a 14 year old and they're still looking for several more suspects.

If you have any information about the vandalism call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS.