ByMariah Congedo|January 9, 2021 at 5:59 PM EST - Updated January 10 at 9:22 AM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Several residents in the Ardsley Park neighborhood woke up to find their cars broken into Saturday morning.
Police say more than 20 cars were targeted.
As you drive through 51st and 52nd streets this is a common sight. Garbage bags taped over car windows and glass shattered on the pavement.
“It’s a new experience. I never had to learn how to clean glass out of my car,” said Jake Henry who had his car broken into.
Alderman Nick Palumbo for District 4 says they believe the break-ins happened sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 Saturday morning. Based on evidence, police say the suspect or suspects used a puncture tool to more easily break the windows.
“Noticed that my window was down and I didn’t remember it being down and it was actually gone,” Henry said.
Residents with garbage cans, cleaning up the glass and duct taping garbage bags where the windows once were.
Most of the residents say they didn’t have valuables stolen, but that their glove compartments were rummaged through. Palumbo and police say this is most likely because they were looking for things like cash and guns.
“All the glass was inside the car. The glove compartment, the center console had been open and rummaged through,” Henry said.
The Savannah Police Department, Forensic Unit and detectives are surveying the area.
Palumbo says the degree of this incident is nothing he’s ever seen before.
“It’s really unusual to see someone brazen enough, bold enough or honestly stupid enough to commit over 20 of these in a very small area. You’re most likely to get caught. We’re really going to be stepping up the police presence here certainly. There’s going to be additional patrol and protection that’s going to be happening here,” Palumbo said.
Neighbors say they didn’t hear any car alarms go off and so they say they had no reason to suspect that anything was going on right outside their front doors.
“It’s really unusual to see someone brazen enough, bold enough or honestly stupid enough to commit over 20 of these in a very small area,” Palumbo said.
Palumbo says a similar incident happened in Magnolia Park recently. He says police will be upping patrols in the area and checking out surveillance footage anyone may have.
Henry says what happened is a reminder that people should never leave anything of value in an unattended car.
“You hear it all the time, don’t leave valuables in your car. It’s something I try to remember, but it’s easy to forget,” Henry said.
“Certainly, this is something the Savannah Police Department and entire city is extraordinarily focused on to bring just to this and prevent it from happening in the future,” Palumbo said.
Palumbo said one resident did have his car stolen and that car has since been registered with police as a stolen vehicle. Palumbo encourages the community to check any surveillance footage they may have or give police any information that could help lead them to an arrest.
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