Humane Fort Wayne vehicle ‘unusable’ following vandalism

UPDATE (February 6, 2025):

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – We told you earlier in the week about someone vandalizing the Humane Fort Wayne Pet Food Pantry van over the weekend. Now, representatives say the van is no longer operational. When the person drained the fuel from the van they punctured the fuel tank.

Humane Fort Wayne is now hoping the community will help in the form of donations to get a new vehicle. The van that was damaged would deliver around 275,000 pounds of pet food each year for those in need.

The following was released:

On Sunday, February 2, 2025, Humane Fort Wayne’s Pet Food Pantry van was targeted by vandalism at its Hanna Street location. The van, used to distribute nearly 275,000 pounds of pet food each year to individuals in need, now needs to be replaced.

The organization’s security footage revealed that at approximately 1:30 am on Sunday, an unknown individual in a white cargo-type van parked next to the organization’s own van at 4914 South Hanna Street.

Over the course of roughly twenty minutes, the individual proceeded to remove decals that identified the van as belonging to Humane Fort Wayne’s Pet Food Pantry. Initially the organization believed that the individual had merely siphoned gasoline from the vehicle, but further inspection revealed that the fuel tank actually had been punctured and drained, rendering the vehicle unusable.

“Unfortunately, our Pantry vehicle was already in bad shape before we were targeted. It was an older, high-mileage vehicle obtained from another organization that had retired it years ago. We’ve done our best to keep it running, but at this point the cost of repairing the vehicle would far exceed its value,” said Jessica Henry-Johnson, Executive Director.

Now, with the help of $40,000 in matching funds, Humane Fort Wayne seeking to raise a total of $80,000 to purchase a replacement and complete the necessary modifications to make it pet-friendly.

It remains unclear why the suspect removed the organization’s emblems from the van, and so Humane Fort Wayne continues to urge the public to exercise caution and gives the following reminders:

The Pet Food Pantry distributes food at set times and locations around the community – check their website to ensure that they’re receiving safe food from the organization and not a potential imposter
Humane Fort Wayne does not deliver food, pick up animals, or visit your residence without an appointment
Please don’t donate pet food or other items to anyone driving a vehicle marked as Humane Fort Wayne’s. Instead, bring donations to either its Maycrest Drive or Leesburg Road location.

The suspect’s white cargo van has a large dent in the passenger side rear panel and is marked with “IN006” in black lettering on the passenger side quarter panel. If you have any information that might be helpful in locating or identifying the individual in question, please contact FWPD or Humane Fort Wayne.

To make a donation, view the Pet Food Pantry schedule, or get more information about Humane Fort Wayne, visit www.humanefw.org

ORIGINAL POST:

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Humane Fort Wayne is trying to identify the suspect who vandalized one of their vans early Sunday morning.

Executive director Jessica Henry-Johnson says they have filed a police report and appreciate “any help the public may be able to offer to identify the suspect,” but also urged people to use caution. She says they do not have a motive for the suspect draining the gas tank of a van and removing identifiable decals that showed it belonged to Humane Fort Wayne’s Pet Food Pantry.

The following was released on Monday:

Humane Fort Wayne is urging the public to exercise caution after a van at the organization’s Hanna Street location was targeted by vandalism.

The organization’s security footage revealed that at approximately 1:30am on Sunday, February 2, 2025, an unknown individual in a white cargo-type van parked next to the organization’s own van at 4914 South Hanna Street. Over the course of roughly twenty minutes, the individual siphoned gasoline from Humane Fort Wayne’s vehicle and proceeded to remove decals that identified the van as belonging to Humane Fort Wayne’s Pet Food Pantry.

“We have of course filed a police report and appreciate any help the public may be able to offer identifying the suspect,” says Jessica Henry-Johnson, Executive Director. “However, it’s not clear what motivation the individual might have for taking our van’s signage, so we’re asking that the community, especially those using our Pet Food Pantry services, to use extra caution.”

Humane Fort Wayne is reminding the public that their Pet Food Pantry distributes food at set times and locations around the community, and encourages the community to check their website to ensure that they’re receiving safe food from the organization and not a potential imposter.

In addition, the organization is asking that pet food not be donated or given to anyone driving a vehicle marked as Humane Fort Wayne’s, but rather dropped off at its Maycrest Drive or Leesburg Road location to ensure that the gift arrives in the correct hands.

Humane Fort Wayne’s Pet Food Pantry distributed nearly 275,000 pounds of free pet food to owners in need in 2024.

Humane Fort Wayne’s Pet Food Pantry distribution schedule is available on its website