(WXYZ) — Just hours after Michigan State University’s win over the University of Michigan, a group of college students swarmed a car in East Lansing, screaming and cheering as they kicked out the windows and flipped it on its hood.
That red 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis, now totaled, belonged to the grandmother of University of Michigan student Jack Borchanian.
“It's not a fancy car, but it definitely holds some value in my family," Borchanian said. "It was really unfortunate to see it go like that.”
Borchanian is a junior from Northville and like his older sister and cousins, he had the honor of driving grandma’s Mercury in college.
He drove it to East Lansing for the weekend and parked the car outside a friends house, where the crowd found it.
“Kicked at the car, threw things at it and a couple guys ended up flipping it over and breaking the windows and everything," Borchanian said. "Really disgusting stuff.”
Borchanian was out with his friends when it happened. He later saw the videos on social media.
All day after the game, students and fans started dozens of fires across East Lansing and even flipped another car. Borchanian isn’t sure why his car was targeted but says it had a U of M bumper sticker.
“I can’t make any conclusions, but that could be a cause for why it happened,” he said.
In the days that followed, Borchanian launched a GoFundMe account. The page spread beyond family and friends, reaching random MSU fans and alumni who all donated with comments of support.
“People that I both knew and didn't know both donating and spreading the word, it really just kind of blew up fairly quickly,” Borchanian said.
In less than five days, those donors pitched in enough money to cover the cost of the car and even the towing fee.
Borchanian hopes in the future, his peers think twice before destroying someone's car. But he's happy other Spartan fans stepped up.
“It was really important to see support from the Spartan community like that, I'm really grateful,” Borchanian said. "It just really shows what Michigan State University stands for, I think. They don't tolerant this behavior, this is not something they glorify.”
East Lansing police are still looking for the people who destroyed the car. If you recognize anyone in the video or have any information, contact Detective Lt. Scot Sexton at 517-319-6916 or ssexton@cityofeastlansing.com.
