COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Car break-ins and thefts have become common in Columbus and residents are getting frustrated.
Some cars were hit Wednesday night on the north side of the city, and one man, Jesse Toy, said a thief smashed his car’s window, tried to steal the vehicle, and ran off with his laptop.
“Back right passenger window is busted, like that’s how they got into the car, and then also it was damage to the inside to the steering column and to the ignition part, so that’s literally just hanging by a thread,” he said.
Toy lives in north Columbus and said his car was broken into around 11:30 Wednesday night. He said after the break-in, he felt defeated.
“Like everybody works hard for whatever they have in life,” Toy said. “It sucks, my car is paid off and everything like that.”
He is not the only one who has dealt with this. Other cars in the north Columbus area were also broken into Wednesday night.
“Even within the hour of my car being hit, the police officer said there were a couple of break ins off of Schrock Road as well,” Toy said.
Toy’s next-door neighbor Ibrahim Bundu said he dealt with the same thing two weeks ago, but nothing was stolen from him.
“Somebody actually broke into my car on the passenger side, went into my glove compartment, took away all my registration, all the documents I have in there. I don’t know whether they stole anything. I never realized anything was stolen,” Bundu said.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot people can do to prevent their cars from being broken into.
Kara Hitchens with AAA Ohio said one thing that may make a thief think twice is a visual deterrent, like a steering wheel lock.
“Any kind of visual thing like that people would less likely try to steal the car or take something out of the car because they know people are taking proactive steps to protect their property,” she said.
Toy’s story may sound similar to what many people in Columbus have dealt with recently, and these thieves and vandals don’t appear to be slowing down. For Toy and Bundu, it’s scary and they said something needs to change.
“If somebody can come and break into a car, they might come to your house as well,” Bundu said.
“I don’t know what’s going on in the city with the issue with people breaking into these types of cars and breaking into cars but it seems to be definitely like an epidemic that’s going on,” Toy said.
Hitchens said to try to prevent break-ins or theft, it’s a good idea to park in a garage, a well-lit area or in a place with lots of other cars.
