JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of a Westside neighborhood are urging caution and vigilance after a rash of 20 break-ins over the past few months.
Neighbors in the area of Old Plank Road, near Interstate 10, are hoping the thieves get caught. Several of the burglaries included the theft of weapons.
Sheryl Starling is one of the latest victims. She said someone came into her shed Monday and stole $1,800 worth of lawn equipment -- tools her son used to make a living.
"I'm livid, because I know how hard he works," Starling said.
She's not the only one. A 90-day crime map shows about two dozen burglaries within a mile radius of Starling's home, some are within an eye-shot.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office gave News4Jax a number of burglary reports near Old Plank Road on the Westside involving the theft of guns, jewelry and electronics. Starling said her neighbors had chairs, golf carts and a bicycle stolen from their homes.
Last month, a woman who lives nearby and asked News4Jax to conceal her identity recorded a video of two men and woman, pulling up in a white car and casing the property. She said it was the third break-in at her home since July.
"She goes in to check to see if anyone answers, if they are at home," the woman said. "He is also checking the door to see if anyone answers. And then you see him slide around the side of my house."
Then, the man went to the back door, grabbed an ax that belonged to the homeowner and broke into the kitchen. The woman said the burglar was there for 20 minutes and took three guns and an iPad.
Police are looking at the video and the owner is hoping the burglars get caught. The victim said she believes she knows who they are and she gave that information to a responding officer.
The man visible in the video appears to be in his 20s or 30s, average height with short brown hair. The woman appears to be in her 20s or 30s, thin, with brown hair, which she wore in a pony tail.
"Something definitely has to be done," the woman said.
Starling said it's time for action.
"Neighbors have been hit, good friends of ours have been hit, so it needs to be stopped," Starling said. "Somehow or another before somebody -- somebody is going to hurt somebody."
Some of the neighbors are now trying to put together community meetings to deal with the burglary problems and to keep the crooks out. They haven't set a time or place yet, but News4Jax will pass that information along as soon as it is available.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Gil Smith said having a tight-knit neighborhood watch program will definitely help. He said residents should report any suspicious activity, and if they can do it safely, take pictures or video of people who seem out of place.