'Are we truly safe?' Car thefts up 52% in Cary, with over 100 cars stolen this year alone
WRAL Investigates has found car thefts are on the rise in Cary.
The numbers show 108 cars have been stolen so far in 2022.
That’s about one theft for every three days. The reports are causing longtime residents to grow more concerned.
Police said the area surrounding Cary Crossroads is one of the hotspots for car break-ins and car thefts, but they're also happening throughout town.
For instance, Cynthia Crawford’s Dodge Durango was stolen from her driveway in this west Cary neighborhood.
“My car was in my driveway," Crawford said. "It was unlocked. They did hotwire it. When they did hotwire it, they ended up messing up the electrical.”
It’s one of 49 cars stolen in Cary since July. There's been even more cars rummaged through and damaged.
Katy Kline’s SUV was locked, but vandals still hit the front hood and scraped the side panel outside her home near Bond Park.
“We keep seeing more and more of this,” Kline said.
The 108 cars stolen this year is a 52 percent increase over this time last year. Thefts from cars have been steadily on the rise, up 18 percent over last year with nearly 500 cars targeted since January.
“I love living in Cary and I do feel like we are safe," Kline said. "I just want to make sure we are not false safe. That’s what I am concerned about, false safe. Are we truly safe or are we just making ourselves out to be safe because we just don’t hear about it in the police blotter?”
Police are using social media to remind drivers to lock their cars up. The department said a majority of incidents involved unlocked cars with valuables in plain sight.
“It’s a little surprising just how blatant they were about it," said Cynthia Crawford, who had her car stolen. "They were just walking down the sidewalk.”
Crawford’s car was found abandoned about a week later with marijuana, a bullet and credit cards inside. Her license plate had been taken off.
“I would say if you have a garage, use it,” Crawford said.
She’s hoping putting cameras outside her home and locking the doors of her new car will prevent her from becoming a target again.
Statistics show the number of car thefts and car break-ins appear to be coming down in September. Police also remind drivers to take their weapons out of their cars.
