Vehicle crashes into fountain at waterfront condo

A car crashed into a water fountain in front of a Vancouver waterfront condominium complex overnight Wednesday and police are working to determine who is responsible.

John Katzenmyer, property manager at The Sahalie at Tidewater Cove, got to work at 7 a.m. to see the odd sight — a white Chrysler sedan angled across the condo’s fountain. On closer inspection, he saw that the vehicle had pushed a large boulder into the fountain and had bent the metal lettering displaying The Sahalie’s name.

“They were probably flying down the road and didn’t even know there was a roundabout or dead end,” he said.

His first thought was that it was caused by a drunk driver, he said, adding that evidence for his hunch was found in the form of a trail of beer bottles and beer cans that led from the crash scene to nearby Southeast Beach Drive.

The Sahalie includes more than 30 condos that take up three addresses at the east-most end of Southeast Columbia Way.

Katzenmyer said he’s been working hard on the water feature for the past two months trying to make it look nice for summer.

“It’s upsetting,” Katzenmyer said. “There’s been a lot of young people in this area that have been vandalizing and trespassing.”

Vancouver police Cpl. Stuart Hemstock responded to investigate. He said that since there was no license plate on the Chrysler Sebring, he’ll be working to learn who owns the car.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about the incident is asked to call the Vancouver Police Department tip line at 360-487-7399.