Several construction vehicles severely damaged at Cathedral City work site

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) - A construction site in Cathedral City’s Rio Vista neighborhood became the target of extensive vandalism after several pieces of heavy equipment were severely damaged late last week.

Crews arriving at the site discovered shattered windows, broken mirrors, smashed headlights, and damaged control systems on multiple construction vehicles.

Mario Crncic, COO of Sky Construction, said the incident was unlike anything he has experienced in the industry.

“I’ve never had this much damage at one time before,” Crncic said.

Crncic says the site was hit more than once. After the initial vandalism, suspects reportedly returned and caused additional damage within a few hours.

“They damaged the equipment more and even the new water truck that we just brought out,” Crncic said. “They then damaged that one and tried to hot-wire it.”

The destruction has forced the company to shift its focus from construction to cleanup and recovery. Crncic says the financial impact is significant, with costly repairs and rental equipment now needed to keep the housing project on schedule.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “This is a lot of damage. A lot of cost that I have to absorb now.”

Crncic added that the incident affects more than just the construction company.

“Vandalism is vandalism and it’s wrong and it hurts everybody,” he said. “It hurts these people that purchase these homes knowing that they have knuckleheads running around here. It hurts the developer. He has to now spend money on cameras or a security guard until this project is built out.”

Sky Construction is offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to those responsible.

Cathedral City police are currently investigating the incident and say it does not appear to be gang-related. Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.