Six more vehicles in the city of DeKalb were damaged Tuesday morning in the current wave of window smashings, bringing the total to 16 possibly related incidents.

The DeKalb Police Department is reporting vandalism to six vehicles in the parking lot of the Colonial Townhouses, 1010 W. Lincoln Highway. Reports indicate the damage occurred Tuesday between midnight and 7 a.m.

The damages come on the heels of 10 other window smashings around the city during the early hours of Monday morning.

There is a possibility that the instances could be related, DeKalb police Lt. Jim Kayes said.

The only lead the police department has is a witness who reported seeing a gray 1990 minivan with loud exhaust leaving the scene on Locust Street at 6 a.m. Monday.

DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said investigators are busy gathering information.

Although officers have yet to say who they believe might have committed the vandalism, Kayes doubts the vandals are NIU students.

“I would hope that higher education would lead to better behavior,” Kayes said.

In cases of vandalism, Kayes said the department usually will catch the vandals 25 percent of the time.

“Somebody’s got to catch them in the act,” Kayes said. “In situations like this, they don’t usually turn themselves in.”

Although it may seem like many people are involved, University Police Sgt. Dwight Ekstrom of University Police said that it’s probably just a few people doing most of the damage. It’s especially easy for a few people to do all the damage when there seems to be no motive besides vandalizing, he added.

Jeremy Kitlinski, a sophomore computer graphics major, can attest to what Ekstrom said. His car was one of the vehicles damaged at Colonial Townhouses.

Kitlinski said he had a book of CDs in the backseat and two subwoofers in the trunk, but nothing was touched or stolen.

University Police also is reporting random criminal damage to vehicles. Over the weekend, five cars reportedly were damaged on campus without any intent to steal. Those acts, along with the 14 vehicles reporting side mirror damage in lot W — behind Grant Towers North — last week are causing what Ekstrom calls a cycle of vandalism that happens three or four times a year.

Kayes said that Crime Stoppers would be more than willing to offer an award, and anyone with any information should call the DeKalb Police Department at 748-8400 or Crime Stoppers at 895-3272.