A suspect has been charged after nine automated speed enforcement cameras were damaged in Vaughan this year.
Police in York region say they responded to nine reports of mischief between January and April, at three separate locations across the city.
In issued Tuesday, a suspect, who was not identified, had been charged in connection with one of the incidents, investigators said, but noted they were still seeking witnesses in the following eight:
- Peter Rupert Avenue on Jan. 11 at approximately 2:10 a.m.
- Peter Rupert Avenue on Jan. 27 at an unknown time.
- Peter Rupert Avenue on Feb. 3, at approximately 11:20 p.m.
- Hilda Avenue on Feb. 5 at approximately 10:20 p.m.
- New Westminster Drive on Feb. 5, at approximately 10:30 p.m.
- Peter Rupert Avenue on Feb. 15, at approximately 12:50 a.m.
- Peter Rupert Avenue on April 18, at approximately 10:20 p.m.
- Hilda Avenue on April 24, at approximately 1 a.m.
It isn’t the first time speed cameras in the GTA have been targeted by vandals.
Another camera, located on Parkside Drive in Toronto, was most recently torn from the ground in April — the fourth attack on the fixture in as many years.
The Parkside Drive speed camera lies on the grass after it was cut down a fourth time in April.
Nick Lachance/pc28StarThe Parkside camera has been deemed the highest-grossing speed camera in Toronto, issuing more than 65,000 speeding tickets, worth a total of $7 million, since its installation in 2021.
The incident before last, in late December, saw the camera cut down and thrown into the nearby High Park duck pond, where it eventually froze. At the time, councillor for Parkdale — High Park, Gord Perks, called the vandalism “terrible.”
“Those cameras save lives,” Perks said, adding that the installation of the cameras is meant to promote safety, not generate profit.
The camera has not returned to Parkside Drive since its most recent removal.
A nearby resident shared a video with Star of someone sawing down the now-infamous speed camera around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2024. As of April 19, the camera has been cut down four times within the past five months.
Back in Vaughan, investigators say they are looking to speak to witnesses of the eight unsolved incidents and seeking surveillance footage from the area around the time of the incidents.
Anyone with information is asked to contact York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, extension 7445.
The traffic safety fixture has an enemy (or enemies) that has repeatedly cut down the city’s
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