CLEVELAND — It's happening again: car break-ins.
Watch the video below:
In the past 48 hours, we know of three areas targeted by thieves: Detroit Avenue, West 14th Street, and Rowley Avenue.
Kaelyn Shafer, whose car was broken into overnight Monday, told me she knew something was wrong when she noticed her center console was wide open.
"I didn't see anything missing. I never leave that open, so someone had been in my car. I had to go to work, so I didn't really have time to check through my car. I was a little frantic because I wasn't sure what was even in my car that would be valuable to steal," Shafer said. "Yesterday I was leaving for work, and I saw the car across the street from me had their window smashed in."
Her suspicions of potential car break-ins were confirmed when another tenant in her building posted surveillance video of the break-ins Monday night.
That surveillance, authorized by the building's property manager for News 5 to use, shows a white SUV pulling onto West 14th Street shortly after 1 a.m.
Half a dozen hooded figures hop out of the vehicle and begin checking cars parked along the street for valuables in plain sight or unlocked doors.
"My apartment doesn't have a parking lot, so we have to park on the street, so it's kind of just like sitting ducks waiting for it," Shafer said.
In a separate surveillance video from the same property, one of the individuals sets off Shafer's car alarm, sending the group on their way.
"I've lived here for the past year, but while I've lived here I have noticed at least once or twice before that cars on our street got their windows broken," Shafer said.
Vehicle damage and theft is no stranger to Bridget Hulme, who told me her car was broken into near West 14th Street. Her car has been stolen in the past, too.
She said she woke up early Monday morning to her dog barking, but neither she nor her husband thought anything of it.
"The next morning he was taking our son to school, and he called me and he's like, 'Don't want to freak you out, but your car door is open and your car has been just completely trashed and gone through.' I was like, 'Are you kidding me?,'" Hulme said.
Fortunately, she said the only item stolen from her car was a pair of headphones.
"It's kind of funny because I have Samsung and everyone else in the world has iPhone. So I'm like, well, it sucks to be you because you're stuck with purple Samsung earbuds. I did the [find my] location and it's nowhere near me. They're disconnected," Hulme said.
While relieved the break-in wasn't worse, it doesn't erase the feeling of her privacy being invaded.
"I wiped down like the whole inside of my car twice now. I'm like, I just feel gross. I feel violated," Hulme said.
Both she and Shafer agree they want more police presence in their neighborhood, claiming they hardly ever see a patrol unit cruising by.
"In the evenings in Tremont, like there's not a lot of patrolling," Hulme said. "When you say like, 'Hey, we want to fight crime.' This is crime."
Shafer said, "I do think patrol would be a benefit because typically you see police down on Clark or in the Steelyard, like the actual shopping area, but we never really see police down these little side streets over here."
Cleveland police say they are aware of Hulme and Shafer's incidents.
As for Detroit Avenue, we saw a vehicle with a plastic bag covering the driver side window and shattered glass on the ground.
Cleveland police confirm at least three car break-ins in that area and say someone "may" have been arrested in connection to it.
I've requested more information.
