Philadelphia

On Eve of Dad Vail Regatta, Pitt Crew Finds Vans Broken Into

A thief or thieves struck collegiate rowers in town for the annual Dad Vail Regatta but that didn't stop them from competing on the Schuylkill River.

The University of Pittsburgh Rowing Team members arrived back to their minivans parked at Brewery Hill and Kelly drives around 10 Thursday night to find broken windows and missing items including seven laptops, a necklace, and iPad and bags, witnesses and Philadelphia police said.

Philadelphia police didn’t reveal if they had any suspects in the heist on the eve on the rowing competition. The vans were parked for about seven hours along Kelly Drive, police said. [[421979743, C]]

Pitt Crew didn’t let the incident dampen their spirits and thanks to some uniform donations still competed Friday.

"Pitt Crew wants to thank everyone for all their support, especially our families and all of the University of Pittsburgh Alumni who reached out and showed their support," The University of Pittsburgh Rowing Team said in social media posts. "We are deeply saddened that this happened, but we are rowers. We do not let distractions get in our way. We are not afraid of adversity. Pitt Crew is a family. We are proud to represent one of the greatest universities in the world, and are excited to get back on the race course and get to work. #RowPitt"

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