NEW CASTLE —
Pulaski Township police are seeking information about the theft of main telephone wires from poles on Evergreen Road.
Police said Verizon phone service was disrupted to the Villa Maria community and most of Evergreen Road in New Bedford yesterday morning when the theft occurred. About 350 feet of phone cable containing about 900 wires was stolen, reported Lee Gierczynski, a Verizon spokesman.
Chad Adams, Pulaski officer in charge, said he believes someone either climbed a utility pole or used a bucket truck that went undetected by local residents.
The incident is said to have happened around 2:30 a.m. in the 3200 block of Evergreen Road, just north of Route 422.
That was the second time phone wire was stolen from that area in the past week, Adams said.
A similar theft occurred Thursday when a cable containing 200 wires was cut between two poles and 175 feet of the line was stolen.
Anyone who sees any suspicious activity or who sees bucket trucks in the area without markings is asked to contact the police at (724) 964-8891, extension 104.
“The biggest concern Verizon has about these incidents is public safety,” Gierczynski said. “They cause unnecessary telephone service outages for dozens or hundreds of customers at a time, putting lives in danger and costing thousands of dollars to repair.”
Gierczynski said Verizon estimates that the two incidents in New Bedford have caused about $5,000 worth of damage to its facilities.
“About 200 residential customers lost service, really for no good reason,” he said.
Adams noted that the Villa Maria community, which has a convent and a nursing facility, also was without phone or computer service. A temporary line was installed to accommodate the center until the permanent line can be fixed, he said.
Gierczynski said Verizon is working closely with the police to investigate the thefts. He encourages customers also to call Verizon’s security control center at (800) 997-3287 to report problems.
(Email: dwachter@ncnewsonline.com)
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Thick telephone cables cut, stolen in Pulaski
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