Northern Beaches man’s stunt against parked car divides community: “Good on him”

A beachside community sits divided over a local’s ruinous response to a car parked on a popular street.

A beachside Sydney community has been split over one local’s destructive response to a car seemingly left abandoned on a popular residential street.

Residents in Manly have taken to social media over the last few days to passionately debate whether or not one man’s choice to spray paint the windows of the beat-up car was warranted.

“Please remove ranger,” reads the underscored text spray painted on the bonnet of the rusty Mitsubishi Lancer.

Over the weekend, images of a fluorescent spray paint-wielding older man standing at the bonnet of the car kicked a local Facebook community group into the debate.

Manly residents are divided over a local man’s decision to vandalise a seemingly abandoned car parked on a popular street. Picture: Facebook

Some locals see him as a hero while others think it was a stupid thing to do. Picture: Facebook

Some locals, fed up with the area’s broader parking shortage, went so far as to label the man a “hero.”

However, others considered it a “stupid thing to do”.

“How bad is this! Why do people go so far? This used to be a friendly community,” one lamented.

However, another local argued: “Good on him. At least being even more an eyesore, the council may be forced to move it.”

Separate footage on a Manly-based Instagram account showed the car’s side and front windows smashed.

Speaking to news.com.au, Northern Beaches councillor Vincent De Luca OAM said the issue had been raised with the local government, and it was investigating anecdotal evidence that the car’s owner is in hospital long term.

“It’s only fair and just to consider every matter on its merits. If it is true that that person is sick and in hospital, of course, action would have to be considered very carefully,” he said.

Cr De Luca, who personally referred the incident to the council’s compliance department, condemned the actions but acknowledged the high demand for parking on that particular street near Queenscliff Beach.

“Council can take it out of the street and look after it because, as we’ve seen, some guy has vandalised it by painting, “Ranger do something about it,” he said.

“Other people have further vandalised by smashing in everything else. So I just think that’s something that we do need to look at.”

There has also been suggestion the car owner may have been living in the vehicle at one stage.

The local government is investigating the issue and the car’s owner is reportedly in hospital long term. Picture: Instagram

It’s the second parking incident for Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council area to cause local furore and make headlines in the last six months.

A bitter neighbourly dispute erupted in nearby Freshwater in November 2023 when a boat and trailer parked on the backstreets of the oceanside suburb was also vandalised.

“F**k it off” was spray painted in black over the boat’s silver tarpaulin cover.

The section of the road is among a densely populated part of Freshwater with a series of apartments nearby, making parking spaces scarce.

The owners, a family who say they’re new to the area, pleaded with their new enraged neighbours.

“My family and I have recently moved into the street,” they wrote on a note plastered over the graffiti.

A dispute in Freshwater made headlines in November after a local vandal spray-painted ‘F**k it off’ over a parked boat. Picture: Reddit

The owners of the boat pleaded with the vandal saying they were new to the area. Picture: Reddit

“I have tried to be thoughtful by not parking directly in front of anyone’s house or next to their driveway.

“The boat will move when we take it out.”

In November 2021, a new law was passed in the NSW parliament that gives local councils and police more powers and penalties around unattended property left in public places, such as streets.

This includes on-the-spot fines, higher court penalties, seizure action and enforcement orders.

Local councils have varying parking laws on roads. Some opt not to impose restrictions on caravans, motorhomes and boat trailers parking on streets, provided they are registered and are not heavy vehicles or long vehicles.

Others have laws allowing boat trailers to be impounded if they are parked on a road for more than 28 days.

Originally published as Northern Beaches man’s stunt against parked car divides community: “Good on him”