Dozens of neighbors in Roxborough and Andorra are trying to figure out how to fix their cars after another case of vandalism and break-ins in the city. Nearly 30 cars were hit in one area and home security footage caught some of it. NBC10’s Leah Uko spoke with several people who live in the area and say the area is an easy target and more patrols are needed.
Dozens of cars were broken into and robbed in Roxborough, Andorra and Cheltenham Township over the weekend, police said.
Residents in the areas went outside to find windows smashed in, shattered glass on the street and items missing from some of their cars in multiple areas, according to police.
Police believe the same group of people has hit multiple times and has left more than six dozen victims to clean up the mess.
Nearly 30 cars broken into in Andorra
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One of the areas that was targeted, Port Royal Avenue, is where tenants at the Summit Park Apartments park their cars.
It’s a dark street with limited lighting and security which tenants say creates an easy opportunity for thieves.
The residents believe it was a group that went through and broke into nearly 30 cars.
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“At nighttime, all the spots are filled so you’ve got to park on the outside and that’s where most of the stuff happened yesterday,” Brian Copes, a Summit Park resident, said. "I’m hoping this is just a random act. Nobody wants to deal with that.”
The leasing office at the apartment building emailed tenants Monday morning notifying them that cars were vandalized. The email listed Philadelphia police’s 5th district phone number for residents to report the crime and reminders to keep doors locked and valuable items out of sight.
Multiple cars were also targeted around the corner on Summit Avenue.
“Some people feel like that it’s quiet that they’re more comfortable doing things like that,” Gina Felder, a resident in the neighborhood, said.
Security cameras capture car break-ins in Roxborough
Another area that was hit was the 500 block of Monastery Avenue in Roxborough.
Home security video recorded a car break-in happening.
“We don’t know what they stole or what they were looking for,” John Wiggins, a resident, said.
Wiggins said his family came home from the shore when his son noticed that his car windows were bashed in.
“Give us more patrol. All hours. We need it,” he said.
He isn’t the only one asking for more police in the Roxborough section.
“Make sure your windows are rolled up. Your doors are locked and anything—like I’ve seen people with tablets in their front seats, cameras…I’ve seen like a lot of different things, valuables in people's front seats,” Felder said. “They just don’t put them away and they really should.”
35 cars hit in Cheltenham Township
In less than two hours 35 cars were targeted in Cheltenham.
While all the cars had smashed windows, majority of them had nothing stolen, police said.
Video from the area shows the moments the suspects hit several cars on a parked street.
"It takes just seconds. Suspects were just rampantly breaking windows and cars," Lt. Andrew Synder, with the Cheltenham Police Department, said. "They'd park their vehicle in the middle of the street, jump out, run up to different cars, smash a window out, look inside for a couple seconds and then move on to another car."
Police say they believe it's the same two individuals driving a black Nissan and hitting areas from Montgomery County to Philadelphia.
Cheltenham Township police have shared images of the suspects on Facebook and are urging anyone who has information concerning the two men to contact them.
"If you see somebody suspicious, regardless of the time of the day, if you get an alert on your RING camera or some other type of motion alert, call us we'll come check it out," Synder said.
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