Gatecrashers ‘trash’ house, then street
Male teenagers who gatecrashed an 18th birthday party at a home in an upmarket Lower Hutt suburb smeared Nutella, tuna and ‘‘an unidentifiable brown substance’’ on the walls and ceiling, before wreaking havoc in the neighbourhood.
Homeowner Peter, who asked not to have his surname used, believed the teens cut celebrations short when they ‘‘trashed’’ his Eastbourne house on Saturday evening, before turning their attention to the surrounding neighbourhood.
Two days on, and Peter – who was not present at the party – was still trying to piece together what happened and account for the trail of destruction his uninvited guests left on Muritai Rd.
‘‘The filth is quite remarkable,’’ he said. Food was smeared on the walls and mixed with milk on the floors, and chemicals were also spilled.
Peter’s foster daughter – whose birthday party it was – was pushed out of the way when she told them to leave. Peter’s understanding was that she called police for help but they did not attend.
A hole was punched in a wall and some property had also gone missing, he said.
After inquiring with neighbours, he said it appeared the gatecrashers stayed in the area – southern Muritai Rd. They allegedly stole a car and were caught by a resident trying to take another, stole and damaged several licence plates, destroyed a plant and attempted to break into a nearby building site.
A police spokeswoman said they received a call on Sunday morning about a party having been gatecrashed the night before and the caller was advised a report could be made over the phone or at a police station. This was standard advice given on reports about the previous evening.
She said police received several reports on Saturday and Sunday of cars being interfered with and being broken into on Muritai Rd, as well as reports of damage to bus shelters and street signs.