A Morningside family was left shaken early this morning after five hooded thieves attempted to break into cars parked on their street.
Chilling security footage shows a car pulling up to Windermere Ave around 1 am on June 12. Four people wearing hoodies and carrying flashlights can be seen exiting the vehicle and splitting up, with two heading in one direction while the other two check door handles on parked cars.
Moments later, a home security alarm is triggered, startling the alleged thieves, who immediately flee back to their getaway vehicle and speed off.
Resident Jeff Wilson’s family was awoken by the commotion around 1:10 am. “My daughter was woken at about 1:10 am from our camera, which has a built-in alarm that sends out a message saying you’re in an area you shouldn’t be in, basically, and please leave,” Wilson told reporters.
He believes the group had tried breaking into homes on his street as well as across the road before being scared off by the noise from the security system. “None of these people seemed to like noise. Noise seems to be the distracting thing. You can have cameras, they don’t really care about the cameras. It’s the noise that upsets them, because it awakes everyone in the area.”
Wilson says this isn’t the first time his home has been targeted, recounting a similar incident a couple of months prior where his security cameras deterred would-be intruders. “It’s happened more than once, but it’s happened pretty much the same way, with the system we’ve got actually startling them, and they’re like cockroaches.”
Thankfully, no one was harmed, and no property was taken or damaged during the brazen early morning crime spree. However, the incident has left the Morningside community on edge. Police are investigating the matter and reviewing security footage from the area. Residents are being warned to keep their homes and vehicles secure at all times.
Published 12-June-2024