Red dye was discovered in three fountains around campus by maintenance crews on Monday, although university police said there is nothing connecting the vandalism to the upcoming annual rivalry football game against USC on Saturday.
“There’s no evidence except for the red dye at this time,” said UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein on Monday.
University police are currently investigating the crime and looking through video footage, Greenstein said. At the moment, there are no suspects.
“Hopefully we will have a few leads that will direct us to the individual or individuals who did this,” Greenstein said.
The Inverted Fountain, the Shapiro Fountain at the top of Janss Steps and a Sculpture Garden fountain were vandalized, said UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton.
Within a day of the discovery, all of the fountains were drained of water and two of them were refilled, said Jerry Markham, director of design in Facilities Management.
The fountain in the Sculpture Garden, which was due for maintenance, remains drained of water so a crew can clean and work on it, Markham added.
Although there is no direct evidence linking the dye to the USC rivalry, the crime follows a long tradition of pranks that have taken place in past years during the week leading up to the annual football game.
No permanent damage has been done to the fountains due to the dye, and all three are expected to work with no problems, Markham said.
“This kind of thing has happened before,” Markham said.
With reports by Sonali Kohli, Bruin senior staff.