OCEANSIDE — On Christmas Eve a vandal cut into the metal bodies of 31 cars at the Mossy Nissan/Infiniti dealership on College Boulevard.
The destruction took place in a dark area of the dealership lot. A surveillance camera captured images of a person violently attacking cars and SUVs with what appears to be a knife.
Half of the dealership stock of new Infiniti models had tires slashed, and bodies scratched and cut on multiple panels. Cars that were destroyed ranged in price from $40,000 to $70,000.
Total damages are estimated to be around $400,000 to $500,000. The dealership is looking into what its insurance will cover.
Additional new cars have been ordered to keep up with busy holiday car sales.
The damaged vehicles will undergo extensive repairs and be sold. In addition to severe body damage, some cars also had electronics and sensors ripped out.
Oceanside Police are investigating the incident. An arrest has not yet been made.
The dealership administration is currently engaged in unsatisfactory negotiations with the mechanics union. It is not known if the act of vandalism is related to ongoing talks.
Mossy Nissan is offering a $10,000 reward through the Oceanside Police for information leading to the arrest and conviction                 of the vandal.
