PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - Neighbors living near Haverhill Rd. and Summit Blvd. were left to literally pick up the pieces after 27 car windows were smashed overnight.
“It’s a brand new car. It’s like three weeks old,” said Ralph Sasso, a resident of Windsor Park. “I didn’t even put gas in it yet. You know what I mean?”
Like salt in a wound, Sasso says this isn’t the first time this has happened
“It is an ongoing thing, every six months or so,” said Sasso. “Hopefully they give us a break for a while, because I can’t afford this, you know?
JUST IN: 27 cars were broken into overnight in one Palm Beach County neighborhood. https://t.co/h1bAJBbAXH@WPTV@WPTVContact5#contact5pic.twitter.com/JLV7A5zO1S
— Merris Badcock (@MerrisBadcock) August 21, 2018
According to CrimeMapping.com, there have been 376 break-ins in the last 180 days in the two-mile radius around Windsor Park. That does not include last night’s hits.
“One guy had money missing. One guy had a credit card missing. There was stuff missing!” resident Louis Simeone told Contact 5 investigator Merris Badcock.
Simeone lives right next to most of the damaged cars. He says he never woke up to the sound of shattered glass, just the sight of it.
“How do you smash 11 windows and nobody hears nothing?” asked Simeone.
According to a spokesperson with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, of the 27 vehicles that were burglarized overnight, only seven cars had anything of value stolen from inside them.
Windsor Park is a gated community, but neighbors say sometimes the gate breaks.
“I can understand if it was a small tiny complex, but for 250 units? They just raised the rent for everyone here,” said Sasso. “They can afford a security guy.”
Contact 5 reached out to a media representative for Windsor Park, asking about security upgrades. We received this statement:
“The well-being of our residents at Windsor Park is a top priority and we strive to create a great community for them to call home. The entrance gate is scheduled to be repaired this week.
We are increasing the number of night patrols conducted by our courtesy officer on the property. We are also working in partnership with our security company to offer educational sessions to residents on safety measures they can put in place to avoid future break-ins.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office REMINDS the public:
• Do not leave valuables in plain view
• (GPS, laptops, PDAs, cell phones, and purses)
• Do not leave windows open
• Do not leave doors unlocked
• Do not leave the keys inside the vehicle
• Do not leave out items with personal information
To see where car break-ins have been reported, click here.
