Police in Haverford Township, Delaware County issued a warning to residents this week to lock their cars and secure their valuables after a string of car thefts and break-ins early Tuesday morning.
Police say this is concerning because items like weapons are sometimes stolen from inside people’s cars, and if a car is stolen, it’s sometimes used in a crime.
“Lock your cars, lock your cars,” repeated Haverford Police Chief John Viola.
Ring doorbell camera shows that around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, a white SUV drove slowly down Maryland Avenue, keeping up with four people on foot as they went from house to house yanking on car doors.
“They just walked up and down the street trying door handles until they found one that’s open. If the keys are in it, a lot of times they are stolen or they just rifle through the cars and see if there’s any valuables inside,” said Viola.
A woman who only identified herself as Kathy told Action News she was one of the victims.
She said she normally locks her car but admits it was open. She said there were no valuables in her car, but the thieves still made a mess.