JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A string of recent crimes in Riverside has residents on alert. In recent weeks police have investigated a murder, an attempted rape and an armed robbery of a bakery.
Those recent crimes are one reason why some of the residents won't walk along the river anymore, concerned about crime in an area that's rapidly growing.
The crimes have not been minor. There was the murder of Daniel Rowe, a worker at the Blind Rabbit restaurant, just outside the business. There was also an armed robbery last month at Corner Street Bakery Café and just this past weekend police said a man broke into a woman's home and tried to rape her.
Back in April, some Riverside residents were nervous over a SWAT situation at an apartment complex on St. Johns Avenue. Police said it ended with a man committing suicide.
Needless to say Riverside locals are worried about crime in their area.
"This is why I don't read the newspaper, some things I don't want to know. It's scary but it happens all over, it's scary," Kriss Cross, a Riverside resident, said.
This recent crime wave comes as Riverside grows. A recent real estate report showed it's one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the state, with home prices that are booming.
"The night time activities along the Riverwalk, by the Y, I used to do those, not anymore. I'm afraid," Riverside resident Susan Wood said.
The Sheriff's Office has detectives working to solve all these crimes and see if there are any potential links between them. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Tom Hackney said locals need to feel free to reach out to police anytime.
"If you see something suspicious, something that raises the hair on back of your neck, give us a call. If it's an emergency call 911, if not, the non-emergency number. But let us know, give us a chance to see something that causes your suspicions to rise," Hackney said.
Chief Hackney also spoke out to people who might know who's responsible for these crimes and reminds people that if they're worried about anonymity, with Crime Stoppers they can't track you and sometimes you can get a reward.
"If investigators want to find out who made that call, we can't even do that. The line isn't recorded, comes back through Canada to us. The way to pick up reward money is anonymous. Couldn't be even more anonymous which is what makes it work," Hackney said.
The Crime Stoppers number is 1-866-845-TIPS. And in the case of the murder outside The Blind Rabbit, there is a considerable reward offered of $7,000.