Residents of St. James Place Apartments woke up to a disturbing scene on Sunday morning as they discovered a string of car break-ins.
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Jay Stewart, a resident, expressed his surprise, stating, “Not a single car alarm went off.”
According to reports from Action News Jax, multiple residents found their vehicles broken into, with shattered glass and belongings strewn about.
Stewart recounted the moment he realized the extent of the situation, saying, “My son came in and said they have broken into our cars.”
Among the affected residents was 74-year-old Stewart himself, who found his car window shattered when he went outside around 7:00 a.m.
Stewart stated, “I don’t keep anything in it worth stealing. The papers in my glove box had been gone through.”
But it wasn’t just Stewart’s car that was broken into. Action News Jax counted that at least 13 cars were burglarized.
Some vehicles still had broken glass in the driver’s and passenger’s seats. You could even see residents using trash bags to cover the windows.
Roniece Walker, another resident, said that her car window was folded on the ground. She believes the break-ins could have happened in minutes.
Walker stated, “The police said there’s a tool they used so they were fast and quick I will give them that.”
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Despite the speed of the crimes, residents reported that nothing valuable was taken from their vehicles.
Walker shared, “One of my neighbors banged on the door and said we have been hit,” emphasizing the sense of violation experienced by the community.
Reflecting on the incident, Walker expressed, “You just feel violated. To come downstairs and see all of your stuff.”
Neighbors said this is normally a quiet and safe area.
Walker said, “There’s no excitement that happens at our apartment at all. Maybe the apartments around us. But this a really quiet neighborhood. This is the last place we expected to have a $500 bill for no reason.”
The apartment complex, equipped with surveillance cameras, filed a police report, and the apartment manager has been informed.
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