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Luxury Car Vandalism Spree Ends in Criminal Charges

By Jason Beahm on September 30, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

It's said that there is a time and place for everything. But is there really a time for a random car vandalism spree? I mean, maybe if someone blew up your mailbox or something...you would still be breaking the law, but you would sound less crazy than the culprit of this piece, Nancy Chi Ni.

Ni, 30, was arrested Saturday for allegedly vandalizing luxury cars throughout California's Santa Clara and Alameda counties. She was already facing charges for allegedly scratching two vehicles with a pair of scissors, the San Jose Mercury News reports. This was her seventh arrest since June of this year. She is being held on $1 million bail and is now facing 13 felony charges for vandalism...yikes.

Ni was arrested Saturday at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose, California. She allegedly keyed a Mercedes-Benz E320 and a 2007 BMW 335i according to Amy Cornell, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara county district attorneys office. According to police, on more than one occasion she has been found with scissors in her purse at the time of arrest.

Ni was out on bail from the earlier car vandalism spree when she was arrested the second time. Prosecutors believe she responsible for keying luxury cars in Pleasanton, Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, California, since June.

A motive is difficult to determine. Many might assume that Ni had some kind of misplaced anger towards people who drove nice cars. However, that theory seems unlikely--Ni drives a 2009 BMW 328i. There are additional strange elements to the case. For example, one victim told police she was actually sitting inside the car when she watched Ni key it. Police say after being apprehended on one occasion, Ni told police she works as a masseuse and the car belonged to a client. I'm not sure how that statement would help...do masseuses commonly key clients cars after a massage session?

Vandalism is the intentional and malicious destruction or damage to the property of another. Common acts of violence include intentionally breaking windows, slashing tires, or graffiti. The penalties upon conviction may be a fine, a jail sentence, an order to pay for repairs or replacement, or all three.

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