Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A group of Tipperary Hill apartment dwellers found out the hard way about one of the fastest-growing crimes in Syracuse: Car break-ins.
They are among the nearly 1,000 people in Syracuse who have fallen victim to the gut-wrenching feeling of walking up to their vehicle and seeing the tell-tale signs of broken glass and stolen items.
“My roommate woke me up at 7 and said, ‘You better come outside and see what was going on,’” says SU student Shawn Martins.
Martins found a broken window -- and his iPod was gone. His roommate’s car was also broken into.
Martins' home on Whittier Avenue falls in the 'higher' category identified by Syracuse Police as a target for thieves.
Police say one way to avoid a break-in is to not park in a secluded area; Martins parked in back of his building -- he didn't hear anything, even though he's a few steps away.
As police showed us recently, it takes a thief less than a minute to get inside your car, with electronic goods the most likely item to be stolen. That's all they took in the break-in outside Martins’ place, leaving untouched his wallet, jacket, and items in three other cars parked nearby.
It may sound like common sense, but police say it's important not to leave electronic goods in plain view in your car, since this is the item most likely to be stolen.
