Lakewood residents on alert after truck stolen

Neighbors say they believe man seen rummaging through van also stole truck

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents in the Lakewood neighborhood off San Jose Boulevard are on alert after they said a suspicious man was caught on camera rummaging through a woman's unlocked van.

Residents said they suspect the same man stole a truck right out of a driveway one block away.

Trista Simone got an alert on her phone around 5 a.m. Saturday that there was activity spotted on the home surveillance camera overlooking her driveway.

“You could just see a man coming from my van, just walking in front of the house, like moving on," Simone said. "He was (in my van). I didn’t check until the next day. My glove box was open, but he didn’t take anything.”

Just 30 minutes later, a resident on the next block woke up and discovered his truck had been stolen.

"It was locked, but the key was inside," the victim, who didn't want to be identified, said. "It’s a Ford and they have the keypad on the side, which I use to get in and out.”

The victim said the thief likely spotted the keys, then shattered the window to get in and steal the truck.

Neighbor Jolyn Adams said she last saw her neighbor’s truck around 12:30 a.m. when she woke up and looked out her window.

“Then when I got up at 5:30, I saw a man over there walking around," Adams said. "Come to find out, it was the owner and he was looking for his truck. He was getting ready to leave for work and he was looking for his truck.”

The truck is a white 2015 Ford F-150 with a black toolbox on the back that says Catlin Supply. The truck has Florida license plate EEQM39.

Neighbors said they are outraged, adding that this neighborhood is part of a crime watch program and is relatively safe.

According to a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office crime map, within a half-mile radius of the truck theft site, there has been one theft report since last September.

Because it is a safe neighborhood, many people News4Jax talked to admitted they have often left their cars and homes unlocked.

While Simone admitted her van was unlocked as well, she said it won’t happen again.


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