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Arrest made in connection with cars being keyed in South Boston

Boston Police have arrested a man in connection with the cars that have been keyed in South Boston.

Officers arrested Edward Mahoney, 38, of South Boston, around 4:30 a.m. Friday. He will be arraigned in South Boston District Court on two counts of destruction of personal property.

Detectives identified Mahoney after reviewing surveillance video from August 1 in the area of 190 Old Colony Avenue.

Residents told Boston 25 News on Tuesday they’re continuously finding their cars with key marks on the doors.

At first, they believed the damage was an accident, but the endless trail of keyed cars down W 4th Street and other streets in South Boston signaled otherwise.

"It was car, after car, after car," Allison Kassel said.

Kassel said she shelled out $600 to fix the damage when her car was first keyed a few months ago, only to have her car keyed again. She’s glad she’s moving out of the neighborhood this weekend.

"I asked [police] what could be done about it and they told me it was where I lived,' Kassel said.

Peter Boulos had his car keyed twice in one month. He’s also moving out of the area, partly because of the vandalism.

"It's just absolutely ridiculous," Boulos said. "I just can't take it anymore. I drive a nice car, I have a nice job and this is a nice neighborhood."

Residents said whoever is keying the cars isn’t discriminating.

Chris Ryan, who also had his car vandalized twice in just a few months, believes the only solution is to steer away from street parking all together.

"It’s not like they’re even getting anything out of it, other than the satisfaction of damaging someone’s property," Ryan said.

Boston Police weren't able to give a number for how many cars have been keyed.

Mahoney is only charged with two cases of vandalism. Detectives continue to investigate the other cases in South Boston.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Boston Police District C-6 detectives at 617-343-4742 or call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS.