As a victory celebration turned into a near riot after the ISU men’s basketball team claimed a win in the NCAA tournament over UCLA, Thomas Bedard was not joining in with the hordes of students partying in the streets.

Bedard’s car, a 1990 Toyota Tercel parked in Lot 62 near Buchanan Hall, was overturned during the celebration on March 23.

“I heard what was going on, but I didn’t want to know,” said Bedard, junior in accounting.

The officer handling the case, Darin VanRyswyk of the ISU Department of Public Safety, said there have been no witnesses who have come forward with any information about the incident.

“There’s got to be somebody out there who knows who did this,” VanRyswyk said. “It’s disappointing and frustrating.”

Bedard’s car was not parked directly next to any other cars and was tipped onto its left side, VanRyswyk said.

The tipping of the car left the driver’s side window, mirror and door all damaged, and VanRyswyk estimated the total damages to be about $2,000, exceeding the total value of the car.

Bedard, whose hometown is Hyde Park, Mass., said he heard fellow students talking in the residence halls about his car being tipped before he even saw it.

He said the loss has left him devastated, as it is his only way home.

“It’s the only transportation I have,” he said. “And if I wanted to go home, that would be it.”

Although Bedard has not yet heard from his insurance company, he would like to get his car fixed because he is currently driving it around with a plastic bag covering the window, he said.

“It kind of destroyed my view of the people here [at Iowa State] a little bit,” he said.

VanRyswyk said he was also disappointed by the behavior of ISU students during the celebration.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with who he is,” VanRyswyk said. “But I think the [ISU] community should be concerned.”

Any individuals with information about the car tipping are urged to call DPS at 294-4428 or e-mail VanRyswyk at [email protected].