STUART, Fla. - Drivers listen up!
Criminals are targeting your car’s tires, and just this week, two neighborhoods were hit in Martin County.
“We don’t have a vehicle now, and the money we have to dish out, it’s upsetting, said Christina Concepcion, who was driven to tears.
Concepcion found her car sitting on a cinder block, and her rims and tires were stolen in the middle of the night. “My husband has to work so he had to take an Uber, so it affected him this morning. I’m missing a day of work and school also,” Concepcion said.
'Concepcion says she was awakened by Stuart Police around 4 a.m. Friday after neighbors realized thieves targeted several cars inside The Crossings at Indian Run.
The crooks were so bold, Concepcion’s car was parked across from a police cruiser.
“You see three fingers here,” said Andrein Vargas, as she pointed to fingerprints left behind on her Toyota Corolla.
IT HAPPENED AGAIN: Multiple people in Martin County woke up to their tires and rims stolen in The Crossings at Indian Run. 3 days ago, several cars were targeted in a community about 5 miles away. Police say the thefts are happening up and down #Florida. @WPTV pic.twitter.com/rClYFQtBi9
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesWPTV) March 22, 2019
Vargas was also in shock and left stranded. “Who’s going to give me the $2,000 I have to pay for that, nobody is going to give me that,” said Vargas, as tears rolled down her face.
This comes only three days after several tires were stolen in the Martin Crossings Community about five miles away.
The thieves are lightning-fast, and within the past year, we’ve also seen thefts in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Palm Beach Gardens.
“I’m hurting, I’m upset and I hope these criminals get caught and I hope justice is served, I will prosecute,” Concepcion said.
Police say the tires are in demand, and they’re seeing a rash of thefts every couple months. To protect yourself, police advise you to park your car in a well lit area, if you can, and to install security cameras outside your home to deter the crooks.