JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a neighborhood crime alert in Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood, where residents are on edge after a rash of car break-ins.
At least 15 people woke up to shattered car windows in Riverside Monday morning, and police are not sure who is responsible.
The break-ins took place throughout several blocks in the area of College and Stockton streets.
At the John Gorrie condominiums on College Street, eight cars were broken into at the gated complex.
“I hate that that's happening,” said Kim Para, who lives in Riverside. “You can see it's probably easy to get into here, but like I said, that happens everywhere. You can walk up anywhere around here -- any neighborhood in Jacksonville, and have that happen.”
Added Dylan Kiernan, who also lives in Riverside, “I went outside to check on it. It was fine. I saw some other cars had smashed windows and I talked to a neighbor and that's when I said the responding officer who was here said there was about 10 other calls here and that's why he was here checking this out.”
One block away, Lindsey Tague’s car sustained a shattered window.
“I just went around, (I was) ready to get in the car and saw I had glass everywhere on the floor,” said Tague, who lives off Stockton Street. “And I was in shock.”
She moved into her apartment about a month ago and said she’s not sure how safe she feels anymore.
“It does make me feel a bit uneasy, knowing that somebody just walked right down my driveway, past my bedroom window while I was probably sleeping to come and (potentially) break into my car,” Tague said.
Considering the rash of car break-ins, Tague said she’s afraid home invasions might be next. She hopes police will increase their presence.
“(The people responsible are) out there in the streets doing this all night long,” Tague said. “I don't know how they're not getting caught. I mean, I think maybe we just need more patrol around the area.”
Tague said she doesn’t keep valuables in her car and nothing was taken.
Still, she could see where the person or people responsible went through her center console.
Since the beginning of April, there have been 54 crimes reported within a half-mile of the area where Tague lives, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s crime-mapping website. Most were burglaries and vandalism.
Anyone with information on the rash of auto break-ins is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.