Teens accused of throwing frozen water bottles at drivers: "This could have been devastating"



MEDINA, Ohio -- A group of teenagers in Ohio is accused of smashing at least seven car windshields with frozen water bottles.

The victims said they were driving when the bottles smashed into their windshields. Some had severe damage.

"The initial impact, it was just, your mind doesn't compute quick enough. Right after that, your mind computes that and then you're trying not to over correct. My immediate thought was to turn around to try and get a picture of his license plate," said Suzanne Bamer Flynn.

Some drivers were able to get a description of the car for police, so a Montville police officer pulled over a car full of teens after spotting them in the area.

"The reason I stopped you is I saw you hanging out the window and this car matches the description of a car that's been smashing out windows as they're driving by," the officer can be heard saying on dash cam video during the traffic stop.

All five teens initially denied throwing the bottles, but eventually a 16-year-old in the backseat admitted that he had been throwing bottles. He was charged with vehicular vandalism.

Police stressed just how dangerous his actions were.

"If both cars are going 45 miles-per-hour, that water bottle is hitting that windshield with a combined speed of between 80 and 90 miles-per-hour. Very fortunate that none of our victims here or in any of the other jurisdictions ran off the road or suffered severe injuries themselves. This could have been devastating,"  said  Lt. Matthew Neil.

"What they thought was just going to be an innocent act, could have turned much worse. Glad it didn't, and I hope they learned their lesson from it," added Bamer Flynn.