Van Nuys Plunged into Darkness: Copper Theft Disrupts Internet and Street Lighting Services

Relentless copper thieves continue to disrupt the lives of Los Angeles residents.

In Van Nuys, these criminals have made off with internet cables, leaving the community without connectivity and plunging streets into darkness.

Security footage captured two individuals—one wearing a mask and no shirt, the other in a hoodie—extracting copper wire from beneath the street through access hatches. Witnesses reported seeing the pair at around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Hazeltine Avenue and Sherman Way.

“I was awakened by a loud noise,” shared Candace Cervantes, who filmed the scene, with FOX 11. “It sounded like metal clanging, and I immediately thought of the recent copper thefts happening around, since I often walk in this area.”

While one suspect stood guard, the other was busy pulling out the wire.

“He even tied a long black cable to his car,” Cervantes added. “They were determined to take as much as they could.”

Police responded slowly to the theft, Cervantes noted, and didn’t seem to worry about being caught.

“It took them over an hour,” she said. “By like 4 a.m., they were done, and they left.”

Copper theft has been an ongoing issue in Los Angeles as the value of the metal creeps upward. Most stolen copper wire is found in scrap markets as thieves try to sell it for profit. Some crooks are even heartless enough to nab copper wire from Little League fields.

Due to the theft, some neighborhoods in Los Angeles are without power and have had thieves strike repeatedly. AT&T workers told FOX 11 that additional crews from Northern California have been brought in to restore service.

“They’ve been without service like four or five months — it’s like, damn,” one worker told the outlet.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass believes solar-powered streetlights will make it harder for thieves to swoop in and plunge neighborhoods into the dark.

Cervantes is fed up.

“It’s annoying, it’s frustrating,” Cervantes said. “They don’t make it any better.”

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