Honolulu Police (HPD) are investigating an incident of vandalism that disrupted cell phone service on Windward Oahu over the weekend. According to HPD, the outage began Saturday afternoon and was linked to damaged cell towers in the area, reported HawaiiNewsNow.
Residents in Kahaluu first noticed service issues around 3 p.m., with one local business owner reporting that calls couldn’t go through and phones appeared to be off. HPD alerted the public via social media around 7 p.m., confirming that the vandalism had affected multiple cell towers and that impacted carriers had been notified.
Retired HPD Deputy Chief John McCarthy called the incident unprecedented in his 45-year career. “Imagine if you had to make a 911 call and that was the tower you needed—it could be fatal,” he said. McCarthy explained that the scope of the investigation will depend on the type and extent of the damage, which could range from physical impact to cut cords. He added that the towers’ typically remote and secure locations suggest a “very deliberate act.”
By 9:15 a.m. Sunday, HPD confirmed that the towers were fully operational and that service had been restored.
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