A string of vehicle break-ins has an Omaha neighborhood on edge and looking for a defense. The latest incident leaves some clues as the suspect left what are possibly the break-in tools behind.
"This time, I didn't notice any broken glass and he didn't break anything, so I just kind of thought I left my car unlocked," Creighton University student Christian McConnell said.
McConnell tells 6 News that his car was in fact broken into, but it wasn't like any other vehicle burglary. "Came out the door, went to get in my car to go to school. Went to put my backpack in the passenger seat. When I left to go to school, I didn't notice anything, just drove right out."
It wasn't until he reached into the passenger seat, to grab his school bag, that he realized something wasn't right. "I noticed there was another bag that wasn't mine, and I saw some tools in there that looked like they might be used to break into a car, and I thought, 'Ooh, that's not good.'"
A small pack containing a hammer and wedging device were sitting in the seat. McConnell says he believes they were used to break into his car and steal his personal belongings. "I opened up the little box that's between the two seats and I noticed some things were missing from there."
McConnell has only lived in the Joslyn Castle neighborhood for a few months, but he's quickly learned this sort of thing isn't unusual. "Most of the neighbors have said that they have experienced this one time, if not more."
In fact, one of his housemates had his vehicle broken into twice. Much in the same fashion. "He noticed that his stuff was missing even though none of the windows were broken. Nothing was out of the ordinary. So, same thing."
He and his landlord filed a report with Omaha Police and let them know this is just the latest in a string of similar vehicle break-ins in the neighborhood. McConnell says he and his roommates are considering placing a surveillance camera near their driveway.