Verizon on Tuesday announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalizing its network infrastructure after a series of incidents disrupted service for thousands of customers in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.
The company said vandals cut multiple fiber-optic cables in recent days, interrupting wireless and wireline services.
“These are criminal acts, affecting people’s safety and are putting lives at risk,” said Vandana Venkatesh, Verizon’s chief legal officer. “We are actively investigating several recent incidents and are pursuing all avenues to assist law enforcement in finding and convicting the perpetrators of these acts.”
Verizon said the damage can disrupt communications used by emergency services, health care providers and communities. The company also warned that those responsible put their own lives at risk.
California has been particularly affected by infrastructure vandalism. According to industry data cited by Verizon, California and Texas account for more than half of all reported incidents.
California recorded 6,297 attacks in 2025, the most in the country, including 1,131 incidents in Los Angeles. Outages in the state resulted in an estimated $252.6 million in economic losses, also the highest total nationwide, according to data cited by the company.
Verizon said nearly 600 incidents of vandalism affecting its customers and businesses occurred nationwide in the past month.
“Across the country, people rely on us for critical connectivity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Joe Russo, executive vice president and president of Global Networks and Technology. “Our network and security teams are working with law enforcement at all levels in tracking down the perpetrators and bringing these egregious acts to an end. This must stop because our communities should not be put at risk by thieves who vandalize or steal cables.”
Verizon said the $25,000 reward is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people who intentionally damage its equipment.
The company is asking anyone who witnesses vandalism to call 911 and then contact Verizon Security at 1-800-997-3287.