A Newark residence was vandalized Saturday night while its occupants were at a birthday party.
The East Indian family that lives in the Peachtree Avenue house said that a couple of laptops were stolen but a TV, gold jewelry and watches that were left in plain sight were not.
That said, though, nearly every single item in the house was ravaged and rendered unusable, they added.
In the children’s room, the vandals pulled out clothes and doused them with motor oil. They also defaced granite counter tops and smashed kitchen appliances and utensils. Further, they trashed toilet seats, slashed couches and other furniture, and poured oil throughout the house.
Amanda Mehra, the victim’s sister-in-law, who said even police officers were taken aback by the state of the house, described a feeling of “complete shock.”
“I’ve never seen a house in this type of condition, ever,” Mehra said. “You can’t even walk in here. You can smell the odor of the oil and it smells also like bleach is mixed in. There’s glass everywhere.”
Meanwhile, Newark police Sgt. Vincent Kimbrough told NBC Bay Area that although the incident is serious, there is no indication yet that it was a hate crime.
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Police are not sure what prompted the break-in but are looking into whether it was personal in nature, according to Kimbrough. The homeowner also has a business so police are exploring whether a disgruntled customer or someone else who has issues with another member of the family is responsible for the attack.
An investigation is ongoing, Kimbrough said.
NBC Bay Area's Marianne Favro contributed to this report.
