Verizon is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a series of intentional fiber-optic cable cuts that disrupted wireless and wireline service for thousands of customers in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California, the company announced.
What’s New
Verizon said vandals cut multiple fiber cables over several days, interrupting service before crews restored connectivity. Citing National Cable & Telecommunications Association data, Verizon said California recorded 6,297 attacks on communications networks in 2025 — the most of any state — resulting in an estimated $252.6 million in economic losses, with Los Angeles accounting for 1,131 of those incidents. The company said nearly 600 vandalism incidents affecting its network occurred nationwide in the past month alone.
Why It Matters
“Acts of network theft and vandalism represent a direct threat to the safety and security of our communities, emergency services, healthcare and all who rely on critical communications,” Verizon said in announcing the reward. Joe Russo, executive vice president and president of Global Networks and Technology at Verizon, said the company’s network and security teams are working with law enforcement at all levels to identify those responsible. The incidents underscore how physical attacks on telecommunications infrastructure increasingly target fiber-optic lines that also carry 911 and emergency-response traffic.
