Criminal cause of mass Verizon outage that infuriated thousands across SoCal revealed

Verizon customers across Southern California faced widespread service
outages Sunday after vandals targeted and cut multiple fiber lines,
leaving residents and emergency networks disconnected across the region. 

The damage affected wireless and internet service for customers in Los
Angeles and surrounding areas, with outage reports surfacing early
Sunday morning in the San Fernando Valley and beyond. 

A Verizon spokesperson confirmed the service disruptions stem from
deliberate physical damage to critical communications infrastructure but
did not specify the exact locations of the cuts or the total number of
impacted subscribers. 

“Vandals cut multiple fiber cables causing a service interruption for
some mobility and internet customers in Southern California. Repairs are
underway and we expect service will be restored by early this evening
local time,” the company told The California Post. 

“These are not simple property crimes; they are dangerous disruptions
that cut off vital lifelines for our first responders and public safety
officials who rely on constant connectivity,” the spokesperson added. 

California has nearly 8 million Verizon customers. Those affected are
advised to check Verizon’s official network status page for real-time
updates in their specific area. 

More than 12,000 users reported an outage, according to Downdetector,
but those likely effected was far higher. 

Many customers took to X to voice their frustrations with the phone
network. 

“Verizon has been out in the valley all day. Been on SOS for 9 hours,”
wrote one user. 

Another user directed their outrage at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and
City Councilmember Nithya Raman, branding both officials a disgrace. 

“God forbid there’s an emergency and we can’t call for help because of
the failed state you perpetuate,” the user said of the outage. 

A third person expressed their frustration over financial losses,
lamenting, “Verizon is down for a whole day in Los Angeles. I am losing
so much money right now.” 

Another vented, “I love waking up and having no phone service and no
bars in my own house.” They added, “Not notifying customers of a service
outage is insane @Verizon.” 

A fourth chimed, “I’ve been with Verizon for 25 yrs! Don’t fool
yourself. They’re complete and utter trash now. If it wasn’t for all the
discounts they give me, I would’ve left a long time ago. But this is the
3rd outage that has affected me in the last year. I will be moving to
TMOBILE OR ATT!” 

However, Verizon isn’t the only network with problems. AT&T has long
battled service issues in California. 

Copper thieves have been slicing through rural Sonoma County, cutting
down power lines and stealing wiring from AT&T-owned utility poles in a
crime spree that left residents without phone and internet service in
April. 

Two weeks ago, T-Mobile also went dark for thousands of users. Users on
?social ?media reported being stuck in “SOS” mode. They flagged the
services being down ?across ?multiple US states, including ?Arizona,
California, Georgia and Utah. 

the service interruption caused by vandalism that impacted some mobility
and internet customers in Southern California. Some customers should now
be seeing their service restored.  Vandals were behind today’s issues
and law enforcement is engaged.” 

The company reiterated its commitment to raising awareness to prevent
these attacks. 

“We strongly urge anyone who witnesses these acts to report them
immediately to local law enforcement. We know how much people rely on
Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience.” 

https://nypost.com/2026/08/09/us-news/criminal-cause-of-mass-verizon-outa
ge-across-socal-revealed/