INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 78-year-old Indianapolis woman has lived in her home for over 20 years, but, in 2024, she doesn’t feel safe.

Paulette Caldwell says vandals have hit her home six times since February.

“They just keep coming back.”

“I just want it to stop.”

The vandals first hit her mailbox in February. It was sprayed with purple paint.

Then in March, her driveway was hit with burgundy paint. She cleaned it with a power washer, and the only remnant is a manhole on her yard still covered in burgundy.

In April, she says, someone put nails on her driveway on three separate days.

“Multiple times, all over the driveway. I guess they wanted someone to back out and get a flat tire, but, you know, if they have a problem, why don’t they man enough or woman enough, and come to me or my family so we can discuss this? Why be such a coward?”

Caldwell has collected from 80 to 100 1-inch nails in a bag.

Then came July. She caught a vandal on camera running away after launching paint into the air at 5 a.m. Splatters remain on her surveillance camera, garage door, and driveway.

She’s previously cleaned up the messes but is tired of doing it.

“Basically, you think, it’s children, you know, doing pranks, but no one else on this street had any damage to their mailbox.”

Caldwell keeps meticulous notes of the damages in her notebook. She says the damage may cost in the thousands of dollars.

She first tried to report the vandalism to a nonemergency line but later called police.

Police say this case is under investigation, and they continue to patrol the area.

Caldwell is a widow, and some of her family members live with her. She said, “It makes me feel like I’m not safe in my own home.”

She’s soft-spoken and doesn’t like attention, but is speaking up now because she wants the vandals to stop. “I just think it’s malice, hateful, and I want you to be accountable for what you did.”