Someone slashed every tire at this west-end car dealership

It’s not the phone call Matt Pavoni wanted to receive this morning.

The owner of Deresti Motors, a used car dealer on the corner of Wellington Street West and Carmen’s Way, learned today that the tires on every one of his vehicles on the lot had been slashed.

He suspects the incident likely took place Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“I had a customer call me this morning saying all the tires were flat on all the cars,” Pavoni told SooToday. “He wasn’t sure if they were slashed or if someone just let the air out of them. I made my way there, and sure enough they were slashed.”

Pavoni, who is celebrating 16 years with Deresti Motors this summer, had five cars in the lot at the time of the incident. Two cars were inside and unaffected.

Having never dealt with an incident to this measure before, he took to social media earlier today and called on the public for any information.

That post amassed more than 600 shares in just a few hours.

“I’ve had things happen in the past, but nothing to this extent,” he said. “I had a break-in a few years back with nothing really taken. There’s stuff here and there, but this is the worst of all of them.”

Pavoni estimates he’s looking at more than $5,000 in repairs, which includes four new tires and labour costs on each vehicle.

“I may need to tow them,” he said. “I can’t inflate them because the air will not hold in the tires; the slash is just too big. I may be looking at a tow bill times five. The cars are going to be tied up for the week getting repairs and new tires put on.”

The incident is among a growing trend of crimes taking place in the west-end, according to Pavoni, who admits he’d like to see more police presence in that part of Sault Ste. Marie as the weather improves.

“When we talk about patrolling downtown and making downtown safer, there’s a lot of crime going on in Steelton too,” he said. “You want to make downtown safe and patrol it more strictly, but there’s other areas in town where there’s a presence needed as well — not just downtown.”

“From what I’ve heard and seen on social media, ever since the warm weather has started, it’s kind of started to happen throughout the neighbourhood around there,” he added. “I’m not the only one, there’s others around the neighbourhood and city getting the same type of treatment.”

Priding his business on morals — as noted in Deresti Motors’ slogan “Where honesty matters" — Pavoni wishes more citizens, particularly those who commit acts like this one, could find a way to incorporate that attribute into their day-to-day lives. 

“If everyone was honest in this world, it would be a much better place,” he said. “When you buy a car, it’s a big purchase and investment, and you better be honest with people or else you’re not going to last. I wish more people would be that way, not just for running a business, but in their own lives.”

While Saturday night’s slashing has thrown the car dealer an unexpected curve ball, Pavoni has been overwhelmed by the community’s support.

“I never expected it to blow up like it has,” he said. “It just goes to show how much Deresti Motors means to the Sault and how many people actually care about our business. There’s a lot of kind people out there who care, and sometimes you don’t realize it until something like this happens. It’s really appreciated.”

One of the five impacted cars had already been sold, Pavoni said. The new owner of that vehicle will be getting a positive phone call on Monday morning.

“It’s a bonus for them because they’re going to get brand-new tires. They might have to wait an extra day or two to get the vehicle, but I don’t think they’ll mind at all,” he laughed.

Anyone who may have information on the incident can phone Deresti Motors at 705-256-1717.

“It’s a busy area,” he said. “No matter what time of night, there’s always someone driving by – even at three in the morning. Maybe someone was driving by and saw a vehicle or someone there doing something."