Dozens of people in the Laurel, Maryland, area woke up to bad news and a big mess.
Thieves broke into almost 50 cars within city limits, police said, and also struck Howard and Prince George’s counties. Video shows the culprits at work.
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WATCH HERE“We have never seen this before,” said Jacky Brown, a resident for 22 years.
Her car was broken into early Sunday. The vandals got her husband’s truck too.
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SIGN UP Video shared by police shows someone wearing a headlamp break a car window and rummage through its contents. Police said at least two people broke into cars and they had a getaway driver.
The streets of multiple neighborhoods had cars with windows busted out and glass on the ground. Drivers were cleaning up, calling their insurance companies and missing work.
Resident Kyle Leonard said three of his family members had their cars damaged.
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“Almost every single person I know got hit,” he said.
Drivers had items stolen; in other cases, the vandals took nothing at all, police said.
Laurel has seen a dramatic increase in car break-ins, with 175 since Feb. 1, compared to 24 during the same time last year.
Police say they’re increasing patrols and urging residents to not leave valuables in their cars. Anyone who may have captured the crimes on camera is asked to contact police.
