The real angry birds: New Jersey turkey vultures wreaking havoc on cars
Quick, what would be the most surprising way for your car to get damaged while left in a parking lot. Rims and tires nabbed? A freak hailstorm pummeling your roof? Try a flock of turkey vultures descending on it and absolutely mauling the vehicle! This isn’t fiction, this is a disaster experienced by multiple drivers in New Jersey.
When the website AutInsurance.com compiled a list of strange claims, there were some doozies. Multiple vehicle owners had staged fake accidents with heist-level-complexity. One had even filled her BMW up with tap water, then claimed she’d left the sunroof open. But one claim stood out because–as bizarre as it was–it was 100% true.
A New Jersey driver parked their car in a regular old lot at a regular old shopping mall. But when they got back to the vehicle they were confronted with a nasty surprise: a flock of turkey vultures carrying out an “attack” on the vehicle. I kid you not. I have no clue why they had targeted this one vehicle in the lot, or even why a bird would attack a vehicle. But they were going after it.
The average weight of a turkey vulture is just 3.3 pounds, but by dive bombing and scratching they were able to lay some serious dents into the paint of the car.
As shocking as this bizarre incident must have been, the vehicle owner was still clearheaded enough to document the phenomenon. And that’s good, because Plymouth Rock Assurance might not have believed this tale otherwise. Here’s what the company later told AutoInsurance.com.
“A few years ago, one of our insureds parked their car in a New Jersey mall parking lot only to return later to find their car being ‘attacked’ by turkey vultures. When the real-life Angry Birds finally flew away, the vehicle was covered in deep scratches and small dents. While surprised, the insured had the wherewithal to whip out their camera and actually took pictures of the vultures attacking their car. Thanks to their quick thinking, we had photographic evidence of the vulture vandalism and covered the claim without question.”
Stephanie Bernat, Plymouth Rock Assurance Claims Director
This New Jersey mall crawler isn’t the only driver dealing with turkey vultures wreaking havoc on their vehicle. It’s a long-standing issue in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Morris County, New Jersey, where turkey vultures have been causing problems for years. Park visitors have reported similar issues with vultures ripping at rubber components like windshield wipers, side mirrors, and door seals. While some park-goers have resorted to tarping their trucks or removing vulnerable parts, others are left scratching their heads at the birds’ odd obsession.
Commercial fishermen like Mike Beau often falls victim to these destructive birds. In an interview with ABC Action News, Beau shared his frustrating experience with turkey vultures attacking his truck while he was out on the water. “They always go after the windshield wipers,” he explained. “They ripped all the rubber off and even pecked out my back window.”
What is it about the turkey vultures of New Jersey that makes them hate vehicles so much? We might never know, but this probably isn’t a great place to cruise around in a convertible. See just how brutal the turkey vultures of New Jersey can be for yourself in the video below:
