@mike.caruso posted:I live in a nice suburb in NE Jersey, a bedroom community for New York City commuters. A couple of months ago I looked out the window one morning and saw this police officer, notebook in hand, knocking on doors and talking to homeowners up and down my street. I was on my way out the door when he made the walk up my driveway. Stopping at my car I asked him what was going on, and he proceeded to say there was a string of petty thefts that had occurred overnight. This had happened once many years before....a carload of “outsiders” come into the neighborhood in the wee hours, race up and down the street and rummage through any unlocked cars taking anything they perceive to be of value. (This time around there was one unlucky guy down the street from me who did have his actual car stolen.). Stuff like cell phones, cash, briefcase, etc. I never lock my car at night, neighborhood’s safe and all that. So I lost a cell phone charger and an iPod. (The cop actually got a little chuckle out of the fact I still had an iPod.). These “kids” basically wanted to grab anything that’s small, easily portable, that makes for quick work and they can resell quickly.
As I was giving the officer my report I realized, “oh crap, I had some valuable boxes in the back of my wagon!” Fortunately, the perpetrators either didn’t have the time, couldn’t be bothered with the bulk, or had no idea what was in there, never mind where to resell it. And so these remained untouched in my unlocked car.
I started locking my car after that. But that lasted about a week. Too much to remember, LOL. There were a couple of Lionel boxes in the Volvo last night. But they were empty. 😀
I was from North Jersey Too! I cant believe you feel that secure in Bergen County to leave your car doors unlocked.
I moved out of Bergen County to Hunterdon back in 2006. Just like you I got too complacent and let my guard down in what seemed to be a bucholic area miles away from the interstate. But all that changed in 2016 when the same thing happened to me on my block at 4:30 am. Car thieves heading to Newark NJ from Allentown, got off the highway and their car broke down in our neihborhood. The thieves hotwired a P.O.S. Lebarron Convertible with top down from a persons driveway then went up the block pulling door handles and stealing what they could. I lost $5.00 in change plus they found out how to open my trunk and lost a pair of just purchased shocks for that car which was over $300.00. Country, bucholic, or not, I now make sure my doors are locked when I leave my ride!
