JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a neighborhood crime alert in San Pablo, where more than a dozen residents woke up Tuesday morning to find their cars and homes had been broken into overnight.
Homeowners told News4Jax that thieves smashed their car windows and stole their garage door openers to get inside their houses.
But they're hoping the security camera that captured the thieves on video will lead to arrests.
Russell Hosey said he woke up to the alarming sound of his dogs barking about 4 a.m. Wednesday, and found that his truck and garage had been broken into.
“They broke into my truck, got my garage door opener and took all our bikes, took all our power tools, probably about $1,000 worth of stuff," he said.
Hosey said about 17 other cars in his neighborhood, and several homes, were also broken into the same night.
Surveillance video shows two men walking up to a house and a truck before eventually driving away.
“It’s very common to have these car break-ins," said Gil Smith, News4Jax crime and safety analyst. "In the past month, there's been a couple hundred throughout the city and, in most cases, the car doors were left unlocked. But here, the cars were locked."
Even if the doors are locked, Smith advised people to keep valuable items out of their vehicles.
“There really is not a good hiding place inside of a car, because burglars know to check every place," Smith said. "They’ll just ransack the entire car until they find something."
Hosey said he just hopes the crooks are put behind bars soon.
“I hope they get caught. That’s why I’ve been posting it everywhere and telling as many people as I can," Hosey said. "Even if I get my stuff back, I don’t want other people getting into this problem.”
Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.