A series of crimes in a Syracuse neighborhood is concerning neighbors on the North Side of Syracuse.
In each instance, thieves broke in while the homeowners were sleeping, and took cars, among other possessions.
Bob Rowe was one of the sleeping homeowners. At around 2 am Saturday morning, thieves broke the glass of the front door of Rowe's house, made their way inside, and took two cars (an Audi and a Porsche).
"We didn’t do anything," said Rowe. "We just live here, pay our taxes, do what we’re supposed to do. We’re law-abiding, but we’re the ones who have to suffer through this kind of stuff,” Rowe said.
Of the two cars that were stolen from Bob and Anita, one car (the Audi) has been returned, but the Porsche is still missing. Rowe says that all three suspects have been caught by the Syracuse Police Department.
“They don’t care, the people that do this have no respect for life or property,” said Bob.
One of the most shocking home invasions, just a few streets down from Rowe's house, involved a couple sleeping in their home on Wendell Terrace. The couple woke up to people in their home who had smashed their way through a sliding door by throwing a concrete garden statue through it. The intruders grabbed the keys and stole a car.
A third homeowner near James and Teall Avenue says she was targeted as well, but police recovered her car.
Crimes involving a stolen vehicle have risen by 32% over the past year, according to the Syracuse Police Department COMPSTAT. Burglaries are up over 40% in that same time frame.
Syracuse Common Council member Jen Schultz, who covers the Sedgwick Area, says she gets calls daily from neighbors concerned about their safety.
"The best thing the city as a whole can do is stay connected, and have great communication," said Schultz.