One Morris Park local is having an especially rough ride with petty car crime.
A mere week after bandits stripped one vehicle in the Indian Village enclave of its sideview mirrors, thieves returned to swipe all of the car’s four tires.
The bandits also smashed a rear window on the car, and snooped around for loose change, said witnesses of a black car parked in a driveway on the corner of Tenbroeck and Rheinlander avenues during the night of Friday, May 2 and early morning Saturday, May 3.
The petty crime spike has locals spooked.
“These guys seem to have found a comfort level in Indian Village over the last few months,” said Bob Nolan, who lives on nearby Narragansett Avenue. “It’s gotten really bad.”
Police at the Four-Nine Precinct say they are investigating. The criminals are likely repeat offenders, some of whom have been arrested for the crime in the past but are now out of prison and back on the streets, said 49 Community Affairs Officer, Detective Vic DiPierro.
Complicating the hunt is how quick the thieves can pluck the mirrors or tires off a car, which happens in a matter of seconds, said DiPierro.
For now, cops are urging locals to lock their car doors and remove valuables. Residents can also invest in tire locks and sideview mirror covers.
“It’s a crime of opportunity,” said DiPierro. “All we can suggest that residents keep nothing in their cars that is tempting.”
But the locals who have seen vehicle parts swiped are getting fed up.
“The bottom line is that we need more police patrols,” said Nolan. “The first thing I do every morning is look outside to see if my car, mirrors and tires are still there. This is a nice neighborhood. We should not have to live like this.”
