Vandals damage 85 District 203 buses

Eighty-five Naperville Unit District 203 school buses have been vandalized, causing an estimated $30,000 damage, police said Monday.

Vandals punctured 115 tires on buses that were parked in a secured lot at the district's transportation facility, 595 W. 5th Ave., according to Cmdr. Dave Hoffman.

Police believe the incident occurred between 10:30 p.m. Thursday and 4:30 a.m. Friday. Hoffman said someone made relatively small punctures in the tires with a sharp object.

District officials said only a few tires went flat Friday, leading them to believe the cold weather may have been to blame.

"When we did a thorough inspection Saturday we realized there was a much bigger problem," Superintendent Alan Leis said.

Crews worked over the weekend to get the buses fixed so service was not interrupted Monday.

Naperville police still are investigating and looking for witnesses to step forward.

"At this point I have no idea who it could be," Leis said. "I'd like to think it isn't students, but I can't come up with any motive."

The district is filing a claim with its insurance company for the damages and plans to add additional security measures to the facility.

"We've never had a problem like this before, but we need to make sure it doesn't happen again," Leis said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Naperville Crime Stoppers at (630) 420-6006. Callers may remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.