Police: Multiple tire slashing copycats in Northeast Philadelphia

Police have arrested a man they say is responsible for at least one rash of tire slashings in Northeast Philadelphia.

Quincy Kramer, 21, of the 3300 block of Englewood Street in Holmesburg, was taken into custody yesterday for allegedly puncturing nine tires Thursday night on the 3300 block of Cottman Avenue in Mayfair. Police released surveillance video of that incident Saturday and were tipped off by a viewer.

When investigators searched Kramer’s home, they found items of clothing that matched those worn in the surveillance video and two knives, one of which was determined to be the weapon used in Thursday night’s incident, said Capt. Jack McGinnis of Northeast Detectives.

Kramer is charged with criminal mischief and possessing an instrument of crime. He was arraigned yesterday and is being held on $45,000 bail.

But police don’t think he was responsible for all of the 90-plus slashings that have plagued the neighborhood since October. “We believe he’s probably not involved in the Aldine Street stuff,” McGinnis said. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us to bring them in.”

“There seems to be several copycats,” he continued. “It’s like new trend, you put it on the news and people say, ‘Oh, this is neat, let’s try this.'”

In one of the incidents, McGinnis said a female was spotted slashing tires. “Why would a woman go around slashing tires? My guess would be, and I have a lot of experience in this – on a professional level, not personal – that her guy did her wrong and she’s out there slashing tires. That’s the only reason a woman would be out slashing tires.”

As far as those damaged on the 8000 block of Walker Street in Holmesburg overnight, McGinnis said a far more benign culprit was to blame: nails. “That looks like it’s all construction debris,” he said.