Spectrum Mobile Outage in Los Angeles Blamed on Vandalism; $25K Reward Offered

Thousands of Spectrum Mobile customers in Los Angeles experienced service outages on Sunday, June 15, after vandals damaged the company’s fiber optic lines in Van Nuys, according to Data Center Dynamics.

According to Downdetector, outage reports peaked around 1:00 p.m. ET with over 5,000 complaints, following an earlier spike of nearly 2,500 reports. Disruptions continued into the afternoon before gradually subsiding.

Spectrum confirmed the outages were caused by deliberate vandalism, with fiber lines cut in multiple locations. While theft of copper for resale is a common motive, Spectrum clarified that its fiber network contains no copper.  

“Criminal acts of network vandalism have become an issue affecting the entire telecommunications industry, not just Spectrum,” the company stated, citing the rising value of precious metals as a contributing factor.

Spectrum is cooperating with the Los Angeles Police Department and has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The company emphasized that such vandalism harms customers, businesses, and even emergency services.