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Cars Damaged By Stolen Street Sweeper In Paterson

PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Police say someone stole a street sweeper in Paterson, New Jersey overnight, taking it on a joyride and leaving a path of destruction.

The street sweeper has the name "Litter Patrol" on the side of it and is based in Oakland, New Jersey.

The owner of the business said his employee was changing garbage bags in the parking lot of a Rite Aid pharmacy on Chamberlin Avenue around 2 a.m. Wednesday when someone was able to hop into the still running street sweeper and take off, CBS2's Magdalena Doris reported.

The suspect made it about a half mile, crashing into five vehicles before ending the joyride on Colonial Avenue, where the sweeper smashed into the back of a red sedan.

Police believe that whoever was behind the wheel then crashed and stopped and took off running.

Neighbors were left in disbelief.

"I thought I saw it all but guess what I guess there's stuff that I haven't seen," a woman who lives nearby said. "I would say it was a kid, or somebody walking the street."

"You literally just have no words for what happened," said Tiffany McCutchen, of Paterson. "Maybe they were on drugs. Your brain had to have been altered in order for you to go drive through this neighborhood, destroy these cars like this and then take off and run. You could not have been thinking straight."

"It's just unbelievable, unusual," another Paterson resident said.

The owner of the red car, who was too upset to talk on camera, said despite the damage and cost to come she's just happy no one got hurt.

So far, there have been no arrests.

The owner of the street sweeper said the vehicle is being repaired and will be back on the road soon.

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