Multiple Car Break-Ins On/Near Boulevard (43rd Avenue NE), Resident Gets License Plate Number, Also SPD Tips

The Laurelhurst Blog has received numerous reports of car break-ins and car prowls recently, especially in the vicinity of the Boulevard, 43rd Avenue NE.

Last night, a resident on the Boulevard, caught two males in the act of breaking into a car and reported this information to the Laurelhurst Blog, which includes a license plate number:

I live on NE 44th Street and 43rd Avenue NE.  Last night, after midnight, I was getting back from work and as I was getting out of my car I saw 2 Caucasian males in their late teens/early 20s smoking cigarettes and walking down my street.  They turned and walked down an alley.   

About 15 minutes later, about 12:30am, I saw one of them shining his IPhone up to car windows on my street and he opened the door to one of them and rummaged through the glove compartment.   

I walked out into my front yard and shouted "what are you doing??"  The guy ignored me and continued to walk to the end of my street which is a dead end.  His car was parked there.   

He got in a silver Toyota 4 door sedan--license plate was AXS1889 or AXS1887...WA state plates.   

I called the police as he drove right past me.  About 2 minutes later, the second person emerged from the alley as the silver Toyota came back to pick him up.  

He was wearing a backpack (probably to put all of the stolen items in). The car then sped off.   

I had called the police and they were here within 10-15 minutes.  They noticed another vehicle had also been broken into on 43rd Avenue NE.  

If anyone sees this silver Toyota around the neighborhood please alert the police.  If you see people walking around our neighborhood at weird hours of the night they may not have the best of intentions. Stay on the lookout.

 

A nearby neighbor to the person who reported the above incident, said that also last night around 1am, he was woken up by the Seattle Police.

He said:

The Police were called by a neighbor who saw 2 guys checking cars on the Boulevard and  NE 42nd Street for unlocked doors with cell phone flash light. He confronted one guy and they sped off.  

The police noticed one of our car doors open and knocked on our door. We stupidly left a car unlocked again. Glove box contents, center console and so forth chucked all over the place, but otherwise no damage.

 

The Laurelhurst Blog reported this car break-in last week on April 22nd, at 43rd Avenue NE and NE 43rd Street.  

The following day another resident reported a car break-in saying: 

After reading the entry on the car prowl in the Laurelhurst Blog, I double checked my wife's car, parked on NE 44th Street.  

It was also rifled through. The glove box and a storage compartment had been emptied onto the seat, though I didn't find anything missing. Even a small bag of change and GPS unit were not removed.

I also noticed a blue glove left on the floor, presumably used so that prints would not be left. 

Anyways, it's somewhat disconcerting, and clearly the thief tried cars on several streets.

And again on April 22nd, a resident in the same area, reported another car-prowl to the Laurelhurst Blog:

We live on the 3800 block of 44th Avenue NE and my husband's locked car was broken into and change was taken.  I also heard of other car break ins last Wednesday night/Thursday morning.   

I'm curious about the neighborhood Security Patrol that we pay for and how it plans to help curtain what seems to be an increasing incidence of these events.

The SPD website says:

You are more likely to be a victim of a vehicle crime than any other crime reported to the Seattle Police Department. An experienced Car Prowler or Thief can gain access to your car in virtually seconds. 

In less than 30 seconds, someone could break into a parked car. Most car prowls themselves take less than two minutes. The damage done to locks and windows can be very expensive to repair and cause great inconvenience.  a car prowl can take less than a minute and can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

Here are SPD's car prowl prevention tips:  

• Don't leave any items in plain view in your vehicle. Even in a secure garage.
• Take all valuables with you when you park.
• Remove or hide anything that a car prowler might mistake as something worth stealing.
• If valuables must be left behind, hide them out of sight several blocks away before parking.
• Disable internal trunk releases per your owner's instruction manual.
• Audible alarms or other theft deterrent devices can be effective.
• When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, stop and take a look around the area.
• Before leaving your parked car, always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
• Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
• If you park your car in a dark or isolated area, consider the City Light Area Lighting Program, which permits additional light fixtures to be placed on existing poles. The cost is less than $5 per month per light. Call (206) 684-3000 for more information.
• Consider replacing the light fixture closest to your car with a motion detector unit. Motion detectors are a good psychological deterrents since the normal assumption of a person seeing a light come on is that someone has seen them. Additionally, the light makes the prowler or thief more visible.

SPD says that if your car is broken into file a report by calling the non-emergency number at 206-625-5011, or file one online.