JACKSONVILLE, Florida – A local woman spoke out about problems in her neighborhood Thursday night. The woman doesn't want to be identified because she said thieves have made her Northside home a target.
Burglars busted through her front door with a crowbar in broad daylight in August and took off with more than $7,000 worth of electronics. The woman is so concerned about being hit again she didn't want her face shown during an interview with Channel 4.
"I feel very violated," she said. "I feel like this guy, these two guys, I want to say to them: 'I could be your mother, I could be your mother's best friend and you violated me,'" she said.
This homeowner isn't alone; she told Channel 4 that her neighbor was also targeted by the burglars. The thieves stole her television and car.
"I went to look for my extra set of keys, they had stolen my keys, stolen my car," said the neighbor. "It was found abandoned about a week later, totaled."
This neighbor was so upset that she said she actually chased down the two suspects in her car.
Channel 4's Crime Analyst, Ken Jefferson, doesn't recommend that neighbors take the law into their own hands, but is quick to point out that having a strong relationship with your neighbors is key to safeguarding your home. He also applauds the victims for having an alarm system and getting a large dog for protection.
"A large dog is a great deterrent. Because a burglar does not want to get tangled up with a large dog that's in your house. It's better than an alarm sometimes because it attacks the problem right away ," said Jefferson.