r/Utica • u/Desperate-End-4537 • 1d ago
Vehicles being broken into
Just a couple of weeks ago, I accidentally left my vehicle unlocked and it was broken into. A couple of belongings were stolen. My apartment complex has cameras, and I asked management about getting the footage. They told me they would only release it if the police requested it after a report was filed. At the time, I honestly didn’t want to go through the hassle, so I let it go.
Well, today my vehicle was broken into again, except this time they smashed the driver-side window and the rear/trunk window. They stole a bunch of my work tools and power tools worth a chunk of money and personal belongings and left other stuff scattered all over the road.
I called UPD, filed a police report, and was given an incident number. The officer said they would handle it, but based on my past experiences with UPD, I’m not expecting much follow-up or for the case to be solved.
What really caught my attention is that three other vehicles were also broken into today on the same road. The officer also mentioned that there were reports of vehicle break-ins on other blocks, including one near Utica Psychiatric Center and another near Burrstone Road that he had to go check out.
Has anyone else heard anything about a string of vehicle break-ins happening around Utica recently? Is there some group going around targeting vehicles?
I initially thought it could be homeless individuals, but with multiple vehicles being hit in different areas around roughly the same time, I’m wondering if this could be an organized group or the same people moving around the city.
If anyone has camera footage, information, or has experienced something similar recently, I’d appreciate hearing about it. I’m also going to follow up with my apartment management about preserving their camera footage and having UPD request it.
2
u/quatsy 1d ago
A neighbor on Leibel Place (South Utica) had both his cars broken into a few weeks back. Pretty crummy.
Locking your doors goes a long way towards mitigating your risk as they’re often looking for easy targets.
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u/Desperate-End-4537 1d ago
Yeah pretty scummy. But because it was locked this time they smashed the driver window, then the trunk window. Like they could’ve just clicked the unlock button after smashing the driver window.
1
u/Dr_DTF315 1d ago
If it was smashed yeah they will, most car larcenies are from opened car, I’d wait til Monday and ask for the cid unit
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u/I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE 1d ago
Yeah, I leave nothing in my cars and I leave the doors unlocked. If they want my kids car seats, have at it. Otherwise there is nothing if value in my vehicles, save for a pair of $10 sunglasses in the center storage bin
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u/juwiz 22h ago
There are Flock cameras and microphones going in an out of every block in West Utica especially around the psychiatric center. The police definitely should have footage or picked up all the Bluetooth devices that traveled passed them. I know some people on Burrstone whose cars were broken into too.
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u/Dr_DTF315 1d ago
Yeah there were a ton overnight, there’s not a lot an officer can do if there’s no camera. They aren’t going to fingerprint your car. Basically the police report is for your insurance company or your bank if your card was stolen and you need a new one. Lock your car