Vandals record themselves destroying $2.4m crane: ‘Because we can’
Young vandals filmed the moment they destroyed a $2.4 million crane in Cairns and posted it online.
In a series of videos taken at Century Cranes in Portsmith over the weekend, a male adolescent can be seen throwing rocks through the windscreen of the machinery with the caption “just because we can”, The Cairns Post reported.
He is then filmed using a large wooden pole to smash through the glass, while his friend can be heard chasing his partner with the camera.
A Cairns crane company is counting its losses after vandals destroyed a $2.4 million crane. Source: The Cairns Post
“Ma ***er was strong as f**k,” reads the text over the screen.
In the next video, the pair turned their attention to the left-hand window. As the first boy pushes the wooden pole through the glass, his friend approaches to film the interior of the vehicle.
Survival of business at stake without key machinery
By morning, the true extent of the vandals’ crime spree was evident with spray paint covering the side and front of the crane.
“I was here,” read one piece opposite the door, while the interior of the cabin was covered in white after the thugs allegedly emptied the fire extinguisher.
The company’s general manager, Bianca Wilson, is devastated, unsure how the business will survive now without its critical equipment.
“It’s one of two of our biggest machines and with the infrastructure projects around Cairns at the moment, we rely heavily on both,” Ms Wilson told The Cairns Post.
The vandals filmed themselves smashing the windscreen and side window of the $2.4 million crane at Century Cranes in Portsmith. Source: The Cairns Post
While it is not yet known whether the crane is a write-off or can be fixed, either outcome will cause major delays.
“These machines cannot just be bought,” she said. “There’s a two-year wait, so it’s going to be problematic. If it’s not a write-off … all the parts have to come from Germany, so the downtime is going to be excessive.”
Vandals showed no remorse after being identified
A second $500,000 excavator, operated by Advanced Civil Earthworks, was also heavily damaged in the attack with its windows smashed and radio ripped out.
Superintendent Toby Proctor said they were able to find out who the perpetrators were in the videos “because they were clearly posting them all over TikTok and social media” and were already in contact.
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“I tried to explain to them that it was our livelihood they were messing with and all they could say to themselves was sorry, but what can you do,” he told The Cairns Post, saying they showed no remorse.
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