JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of Miramar and Avondale told News4JAX that their security cameras recorded what appears to be the same man breaking into homes in both neighborhoods.
Two homes were broken into in Miramar, as was a home in Avondale. The residents of those homes said the suspected thief appears to be going after expensive jewelry.
In two of the security videos, the man appears to be wearing the same hat and has the same build. The break-ins happened during the day.
Alison N. said she and her family had left their Miramar house to go shopping only to come back and find one of their glass doors busted. When they checked their security camera, they realized the man had been in their carport before walking off camera toward the side of their house. Moments later, he is seen walking out of their carport with a filled bag or pillowcase in his hand.
Alison said she knows what the man got away with.
“My jewelry box. A couple of pieces in the drawer and as much cash as he could find,” she said. “It’s shocking that someone would be so bold to do something like that in the middle of the day. And then on top of that, know exactly what they are looking for.”
A man who appears to fit the same description, wearing the same hat with the same lettering also appeared on a home’s surveillance video in Avondale, which shows the man entering a side fence and going toward the back of the house.
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said her glass door was also busted before he entered the home. The alarm went off, but she said it did not deter the man from going up the stairs to the second floor and going through her closets and office.
She said the man got away with expensive jewelry.
News4JAX spoke with a neighbor on the block who said he saw a man matching the description walking away from the victim’s house and briskly walking across the street. He said he didn’t realize his neighbor’s house had just gotten broken into, but said he was concerned as the man was concealing a hand under his clothing while wearing a mask. He feared the man may have been armed.
Neighbors in both communities we spoke with are on edge. To some, it’s no longer a matter of if something violent happens during one of these break-ins, but when.
“It’s a matter of when. And that’s what I’m trying to go over in my own mind. What am I going to do? What’s my first reaction going to be if somebody does do this whether I’m here or not or walk-in?” said Laura Lewinson, a concerned resident.
Police are aware of the burglaries, but it’s unclear if they are stepping up patrols in these areas.