SAN ANTONIO – Thanks to some dense morning fog, the day already was off to a dreary start for Jessica Solano.
However, things only went downhill from there once she walked outside her far West side apartment.
“I noticed my glove compartment was open and I didn’t go through it before I went in yesterday afternoon,” she said. “Then I saw the cop car and looked at my back window and was, like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
Solano found out she was one of about a half dozen car owners at her complex, located near Wiseman Boulevard and Loop 1604, who had been hit by overnight car burglars.
In all the crimes, someone smashed out a window on the vehicle, then sorted through whatever was inside the car.
Somehow, Solano says, the criminals missed a large monitor she had in the back of her SUV.
Other victims reported that the burglars took only a few items. Neighbors said one woman lost a bag that she used for her medical career.
In most cases, though, there was more damage done than anything else.
“Now I have to get my window fixed,” Solano said. “I was just, like, ‘Oh my God.’ I almost started crying.”
For Rose Garcia, the repair costs will be even greater.
She said the crooks broke more on her car than just a window.
“The ignition is just completely hacked,” Garcia said. “I mean, I think it’s just whatever they’re picking and choosing.”
Garcia believes the criminals actually planned to take her entire car, just like they did to Damon Davis last month.
“They cut my window, broke my sunroof, got in the car,” Davis said, recalling the morning in January when he was targeted. “You know, it’s just kind of helpless.”
Davis said he is not sure what can be done to stop the criminals, although he is thinking of starting a neighborhood watch program.
Based on data on SAPD’s website, vehicle burglars appear to be especially active now. One interactive map shows that kind of crime has been blanketing the city recently.
According to SAPD, there were 21,121 cases of burglary of a vehicle in 2022.
Year-to-date numbers for 2023 indicate 2,744 reports of similar burglaries compared to 2,980 for the same time frame in 2022.
In times like this, police often remind people to lock their cars and take their keys with them.
But some victims say even that doesn’t appear to be working now.
“We did everything right,” Davis said.
Solano agrees, saying that the criminals appear to be winning the battle.
“It’s either, just live with it,” she said. “Hopefully, you have good insurance.”