JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) is currently investigating multiple incidents of car break-ins that occurred at an apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Southside early Tuesday.
More than 30 people living at the Antler Apartment complex on Southside Blvd near Baymeadows Road woke up to find their car windows broken and valuable items stolen. They blame the lack of security for the smashed windows and stolen items.
“I’m pretty sure they got a few iPods,” one victim said. “I’m happy I took out my dad’s Father’s Day and birthday gift.”
According to officials, the burglaries happened around 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.
“I never saw anything like that,” another resident said. “This is my seventh year in this apartment complex, this is the first time.”
According to News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney, newer car models may not trigger alarms when their windows are smashed, which could explain why car alarms were not set off.
The victims who spoke on camera blamed the apartment complex management for what they say is a lack of security. They said the security gates were not working during the time of the car burglaries and have been barely operational for the past three years.
News4JAX contacted the front office to see what was being done about the gates and the security concerns of the victims who spoke on camera. The manager declined to comment.
Hours after the victims learned their car windows had been smashed, the front office sent this message to all the tenants about what happened.
It said in part, “We sincerely apologize for this and will continue to work with JSO for a resolution.”
How they will come to that resolution remains unclear, especially since there is no word on any suspect information.