Vandal allegedly targets Transit Windsor bus, throwing cans, bottles and other projectiles

Objects thrown at transit bus Transit Windsor is hoping police soon put the brakes on a string of vandalism acts. Travis Fortnum reports.

Ontario Provincial Police say they’ve identified a vehicle of interest in a case of repeated bus vandalism.

Since October, someone in a red truck has seemingly been targeting an early morning bus on the Leamington to Windsor route — throwing cans, bottles and other objects at it as they pass by in the opposite direction.

According to Tyson Cragg, executive director of Transit Windsor, they’ve reported nine such incidents to OPP between late October and last Thursday, Jan. 5.

The LTW 42 bus route started up in 2019, travelling between Windsor and Leamington via Highway 3.

Cragg says each of the nine instances has happened in the same general area – as the bus heads down Seacliff Drive towards Kingsville.

In one instance the windshield of the bus was smashed by the projectile, causing about $1,000 worth of damage.

Cragg says it’s the first time someone’s thrown something at a bus with such intent since he joined the company in 2020.

He says the repetitive nature of the crimes has meant the same passengers and driver have been on board for many of the incidents.

“Our usual driver’s a 25-year veteran of Transit Windsor,” he says.

“She’s been absolutely fantastic through this whole thing and kept her cool.”

Even still, he says it’s been three months of unnecessary stress for everyone.

“We just want to be able to get the passengers from Point A to Point B and not have incidents like this,” says Cragg.

“The driver has enough to worry about, and to worry about whether every car they see oncoming is going to toss something out the window? They shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of stuff.”

Cragg says it’s thanks to some of those passengers that OPP have been able to get a lead on their investigation.

He says some have taken pictures and videos on their cell phones as the truck speeds past.

OPP confirm to CTV News Tuesday that they have identified a vehicle of interest, but are still working to identify the occupant or occupants – stating the investigation is ongoing.

Cragg says he hopes the identification of the truck alone is enough to put a stop to this.

“It’s a very rare, odd situation,” he says.