Daylight burglaries plague Eastside Jacksonville

Multiple homes burglarized in broad daylight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of an Eastside neighborhood are on edge Monday night after homeowners have come forward saying someone is burglarizing their homes in broad daylight.

J. Carter is one resident who said his door was kicked in and thieves ran off with a lot of his family's valuables.

"You can see where they kicked the door in, you can see the boot mark. We have foot measurements from around the property, it's about a size 10.5/11 work boot," Carter said.

With his wife at his side Carter said Saturday morning was terrifying.

"I was at work I received a call from my alarm company and they notified us that there was a front entry," Carter said.

Carter said that the thieves first broke into their neighbor's home and stole two fire alarms before kicking down his front door to steal multiple electronics.

"They stole two laptops. One was a Toshiba computer. The other one was a brand-new computer that my wife bought me because my (other one) was about 10 years old.

Carter said that the thieves didn't just get away with material things.

"What's worse than just the physical property that was taken, is our sake of peace," Carter said.

Fortunately Carter and his wife had a burglary alarm that sounded within seconds of the break-in. That security is exactly what News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said every home needs, especially with the rise in burglaries during the summer months.

"You'll still get damage to your property if they kick in the door and the alarm goes off, you'll still have damage to the door. But once the alarm sounds nine times out of 10 they take off and run because they know police are on the way and that sound draws attention and people are watching," Smith said.

Smith also warns that people should take note if they see an unfamiliar car in the neighborhood. Write down the make and model of the car and the license plate number if you can.

Smith also said that large electronics are attractive to thieves and there are ways to prevent the items from being pawned.

"When you get these hot ticket items, right away, get the model and serial number and put it away somewhere," Smith said.

In the end, if you do see something suspicious officials say do not hesitate to call police.