A Rash Of Car & Home Break-Ins This Weekend & How To Protect Yourself

Did anyone notice anything strange over the weekend? We heard from a number of neighbors who were either victims of theft, or came upon an attempted break-in in progress.

Neighbor Loren sent us the photo above of a Honda that had its wheels stolen between 3am and 7am on Beverley Rd. and E 21st St., and other neighbors reported an attempted car break-in and two home break-ins around Rugby and Argyle between Dorchester and Avenue H.

After one neighbor caught a man trying to break into his car, the police took over an hour to respond–which seems like an awfully long time for a crime in progress.

A neighbor on Argyle Road between Glenwood and Avenue H reports that a thief apparently broke through the glass of his backdoor on Friday afternoon, entered the home, and took off with a desktop computer and a camcorder, all in the pouring rain. He tells us that the police were “slow to respond,” taking about two hours to show up, but that “they came in force thereafter,” taking fingerprints and interviewing neighbors.

Neighbor Rachel also wrote to us about a car break-in on E 18th St. and Cortelyou, saying she spoke to the police, but was unsatisfied with the help they could offer:

My husband’s car was broken in to last night sometime before 4am. Over $1500 in electrical tools and rigging supplies were taken including electrical meters, hiking supplies, and so on.

Most of the stuff had his name all over it, and it would be difficult to sell or even use if you weren’t looking for the exact application so we’re maybe thinking the thieves could’ve dumped it somewhere around the neighborhood realizing the bags and milk crates didn’t quite contain the haul they were hoping for.

Some of these neighbors were able to obtain images of the perpetrators using their home security cameras, so we’re hoping that the police are able to make some arrests in these incidents, and we will follow up to see if they have.

A reminder that the 70th Precinct Community Affairs officers offer free safety audits of homes and apartments, including recommendations for installing security cameras, upon request. Call 718-851-5557 for more information.

And of course, please attend the final 70th Precinct Community Council meeting of the season at UCP (175 Lawrence Ave. between Ocean Pkwy and E 2nd St.) at 7:30pm on Wednesday, June 26.