U.S. Virgin Islands (March 15, 2026) — The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA or the Authority) discovered last night, March 14, 2026, signs of intentional damage to a transmission line serving the island of St. John following an extended outage that began at approximately 10:00 p.m. yesterday.
During preliminary inspection of the line, WAPA personnel found distinctive cuts to the transmission infrastructure that appeared to be deliberate, indicating the damage was not the result of equipment failure.
WAPA immediately contacted the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) and has filed a formal police report. The Authority is cooperating fully as VIPD conducts a thorough investigation into the incident. Additionally, the Authority is undergoing a review internally to determine whether additional protective measures may be warranted to further safeguard critical infrastructure servicing the St. John community.
“This type of action is extremely dangerous,” noted Karl Knight, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. “Tampering with high-voltage electrical infrastructure could have resulted in serious injury or death to the individual or individuals involved.”
Beyond the immediate danger, the damage disrupted essential electrical service to the St. John community and affected residents, businesses, and critical services across the island.
WAPA acknowledges the frustration many St. Johnians experienced during the outage and thanks the community for their support and understanding while crews worked to restore service, which was returned as of approximately 11:46 a.m. this morning.
WAPA urges anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-774-2211 or 911.
The Authority reminds the public that protecting critical infrastructure is a shared responsibility. Damage to the electrical system not only puts lives at risk but can interrupt essential services for the entire community.
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