Dozens of Windshields, Windows Smashed in Downtown Denver

When Jerome Síbulo left church choir rehearsal on a Wednesday night, he found his vehicle’s back windshield completely shattered.

The director of music and arts ministry had parked his car just outside of Trinity United Methodist Church, at Broadway and East 18th Avenue, when someone hurled a large rock into the glass on December 17. The rock was left sitting on the dashboard, Síbulo recalls. Nothing was stolen. There was no message or explanation for the crime.

It seemed almost random — except that the same thing has happened to twenty other cars belonging to church members since November, according to reports to church staff. And they’re not the only victims.

The Denver Police Department received 22 reports of broken vehicle windshields and twelve reports of broken building windows near Broadway from December 1 through January 7. Repeat incidents have occurred between 17th Street and Blake Street, covering a mile-long stretch of the boulevard.

“I work at the church part-time and I have other jobs, so I basically live in my car. Having my car broken into felt very violating,” Síbulo says. “But it didn’t feel like the harm was directed at the church members.

“It felt like someone disturbed. And it seems like it’s spreading.”

Police say the string of vandalism incidents began a couple of months ago, and they believe there are even more cases than they know about.

“DPD continues to investigate these incidents, including whether or not they are connected,” says the Denver Police in a statement. “We do not believe all the incidents have been reported to police and encourage anyone who has been victimized to report it. The more information investigators have, the more helpful it would be for the investigations.”

Emily Shupak says her car was attacked on January 3, while parked near the Brown Palace Hotel at Broadway and 17th Street. She was gone for no more than an hour between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. when someone shattered her back windshield, not stealing anything from the vehicle.

She claims the same thing happened to her partner’s car on December 26.

“It’s super frustrating,” Shupak says. “It’s happening to a lot of people, so it’s not just a prank. …It sucks for all these people who’ve been impacted, not just me or him.”

Shupak had to pay $510 to replace the windshield. “I’m a social worker, I don’t make much money,” she adds. Síbulo paid $486 to have his vehicle repaired.

Shupak says some witnesses told her that e-scooter-riding teenagers were responsible for the vandalism, while others claimed it was a homeless individual. Police are not releasing any suspect information at this time.

Such acts of vandalism are not typically common within the community, says Paul Smith, chair of the board of trustees of Trinity United Methodist Church.

“We’re in a neighborhood with a lot of unhoused people, and I don’t think this is characteristic of our experience with our neighbors there,” Smith says. “A lot of those people are very respectful of the church. Some of them are actually proactive in looking after the church, cleaning up trash and so forth.”

But beyond the broken windshields of church members, the building itself has recently been targeted.

Someone attacked the church’s stained glass windows on January 4 and January 7, Smith says. In one case, the vandal managed to break through the protective barrier and damage 140-year-old glass behind it. Smith estimates the repairs will cost upwards of $8,000.

“It takes a lot to break that glass,” Smith says. “Somebody really spent a lot of time hammering away on a couple of those windows. It wasn’t just throwing a rock and breaking it. The [protective] glass is very tough and very durable, but somebody really went to work on it.”

The church is in the process of installing security cameras, he adds.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Denver Police Department or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.