By Grace Zokovitch
Boston Herald
BOSTON — Firefighters working at the Celtics Championship Parade on Friday returned to find their personal vehicles “severely damaged and vandalized,” the Boston firefighters union president said Sunday.
“On Friday, after spending the day providing emergency services to the parade crowd, some of our members assigned to the firehouse got back to quarters to discover that a few of their vehicles had been severely damaged,” Boston Firefighters Local 718 President Sam Dillon said Sunday.
Boston Local 718 Firefighters returned to their firehouse after working the Celtics parade on Friday to find their personal vehicles severely damaged & vandalized. We will not tolerate the disrespect of our Members. We’re asking for the public’s help to ID those responsible. pic.twitter.com/5XtuPPGJz9
— Sam Dillon (@President_L718) June 23, 2024
The union president issued a call on X, formerly Twitter, to the public Sunday for any information that may help identify the perpetrators responsible for the damages and said “We will not tolerate the disrespect of our Members.”
Images from the parade Dillon posted alongside the message show parade goers sitting, standing and walking on several vehicles. The images show denting to the cars roofs and a “Sorry” scrawled in blue on one windshield along with two scribbles.
Boston Police did not immediately respond to an inquiry about investigations into the damages as of Sunday night.
“Unacceptable & criminal behavior to damage and destroy vehicles of residents and our first responders, including the personal vehicles @BostonFire,” City Councilor Ed Flynn wrote in a post on X. “I am now calling for an investigation to identify those involved in this criminal activity. They must pay for the damage!”
Firefighters are encouraging anyone with information to reach out to Boston Police, Dillon said, and encouraging anyone who knows they were involved to “demonstrate accountability, reach out and make this right.”
The union president called the actions demoralizing and argued the firefighters would be the first people to step in if they’d seen this happen to someone else’s car.
“This was a great day for our city, literally a banner day,” Dillon said. “A Celtics victory parade, you can’t really beat that. We don’t want the unfortunate, immature actions of a few to overshadow a great day for our city. That being said, this did happen, and we just want to see it addressed and resolved.”
Two people were arrested at the parade Friday — one for disorderly conduct and vandalism of public property after climbing and damaging light poles on Tremont Street and the other for assault and battery on Boylston Street.
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